Minister of State Rob Moore met with leaders from the Quebec business community Friday to discuss various regulatory challenges facing businesses from that sector.
Moore was accompanied by several members of the recently formed Red Tape Reduction Commission and focused on issues facing small businesses, which employ more than half of all private workers in Canada.
"Our Government's first priority is the economy and we understand that small businesses are a key part of driving Canada's economic engine," said Moore in a statement. "Through red tape reduction consultations like today's, we are listening to the concerns and ideas of those who know first-hand where red tape is most problematic: the small businesses themselves."
The Red Tape Reduction commission, announced earlier this year by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, seeks to aims to reduce the most pressing and long-term regulatory or compliance burdens facing businesses. However, such measures must ensure that the environment, as well as the health and safety of the public remain intact.
A report release earlier this week by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business found small business confidence to have risen in February, as that group's Business Barometer Index reached 69.4 for the month, providing signs of a continually improving economy.
