Political News Canada

In about a month, investors will descend on Toronto to hear the prime minister make the case for Canada in an inaugural Canada Investment Summit—a worthy effort given the country’s extraordinary need for investment. However, one claim will be hard to make: that Canada has meaningfully reduced the red tape that’s kept a lid on growth.

The government has made some headway on speeding up approvals for big, capital-intensive projects. But it’s done little to reduce the red tape that bogs down the broader regulatory system that dampens investor interest.

The Red Tape Review was intended to fix this. But a year after its launch, the federal government has little to show for it. Even with a polished sales pitch, three shortcomings of the government’s efforts will be hard to overlook.