From: Mercatus Center | George Mason University
Regulatory Reform: Lessons from Canada
By Laura Jones
Earlier this year, Canada made news when it became the first country in the world to legislate a hard cap on regulations. It’s a move that may surprise Americans who see Canada as a country that embraces, for better or worse, bigger government. The new federal law requires that for every new regulation introduced, one of equivalent burden must be removed. Remarkably, the legislation had nearly unanimous support.
Canada’s new policy is based on a more comprehensive set of reforms implemented in the province of British Columbia. BC’s regulatory reform dates back to 2001, when a newly elected government set out to make good on its promise to reduce the regulatory burden by one-third in three years.