2026 Red Tape Report Card: Alberta earns the top grade for the fourth consecutive year

TORONTO, Jan. 28, 2026 /CNW/ – Alberta has once again claimed the highest overall grade in the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB)’s 16th annual Red Tape Report Card, released today during Red Tape Awareness Week.

Ontario and Nova Scotia followed closely behind through continued initiatives to improve their regulatory environment. In stark contrast, Manitoba plummeted to last place with a failing grade after repealing its “one-for-one” rule in 2024 and refusing to restore the Regulatory Accountability Act–moves that significantly undermined transparency and progress.

“We’ve seen some governments make impressive strides towards regulatory accountability and reducing unnecessary rules, while others have slipped backwards,” said Keyli Loeppky, CFIB’s director of interprovincial affairs. “At a time when global trade tensions are squeezing entrepreneurs and making it harder to innovate and grow, cutting red tape is more critical than ever. Every unnecessary rule is another obstacle to competitiveness. This year’s grades show there’s still a lot of work to do to free up time and resources so business owners can focus on growing, competing, and boosting Canada’s productivity.”

The 2026 Red Tape Report Card grades:

“In uncertain times, governments can’t control global markets or inflation, but they can control red tape,” said SeoRhin Yoo, senior policy analyst for interprovincial affairs at CFIB and report card co-author. Every needless form, permit, or delay drives up costs and wastes time for Canadians and Canadian businesses. By simplifying rules and speeding up approvals, governments can lower costs, boost productivity, and give Canadians more time for what matters.” 

The 2026 Red Tape Report Card grades governments in three major areas of regulatory performance. 

• Regulatory accountability, which considers whether governments are measuring regulation and setting regulatory constraints.
• Regulatory burden, which includes indicators such as the number of regulatory restrictions in each jurisdiction.
• Political priority, which looks at clear indications that red tape reduction and regulatory modernization are priorities for the Premier/Prime Minister and Executive Council/Cabinet. 

This year’s report card has a bonus indicator based on whether governments have published permit, form and application wait times and implemented a service standard associated with each – an indicator representing accountability and transparency.

Other notable progress includes Quebec’s impressive two-for-one rule, which actively reduces its overall regulatory burden, and renewed momentum at the federal level. Ottawa has launched a dedicated red tape reduction office and required all departments to deliver a 60-day report outlining future initiatives to cut unnecessary regulations. These steps signal a positive shift, but sustained action will be key to turning commitments into real results for small businesses.

This year’s Red Tape Awareness Week is presented in partnership with Intuit QuickBooks.

To learn more, visit cfib.ca/redtape.

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About CFIB
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 100,000 members across every industry and region. CFIB is dedicated to increasing business owners’ chances of success by driving policy change at all levels of government, providing expert advice and tools, and negotiating exclusive savings. Learn more at cfib.ca.

SOURCE Canadian Federation of Independent Business