Supporting Business Owners: Advocating for Less Red Tape

Business owners need to support other business owners.

Doug Ford at Queen's Park Advocacy Day

That might sound obvious, but the longer I've been an entrepreneur, the more I've realized how important it really is.

Last week, I had the privilege of attending Advocacy Day at Queen's Park with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce in my role as President of the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade.

Now, while I spoke about this from a personal "pinch me" moment on LinkedIn, I wanted to legitimately talk about why this and other conversations like it are important for small, medium, and large businesses.

If you're reading this, you may be a business owner and you know first-hand the red tape businesses face. Different licences in every city. Four-to-eight-week permit waits with little clarity. Rejections for minor errors. Zoning surprises after you've already signed a lease. The list goes on, but you get my point.

That's why it was so valuable to come together and discuss these issues alongside my colleagues from boards of trade and chambers of commerce across Ontario. We had the opportunity to share experiences, compare challenges, and discuss what practical improvements could help businesses spend less time navigating systems and more time focusing on growth.

Moreover, we had a chance for a productive discussion with government representatives, including the Hon. Andrea Khanjin, Minister of Red Tape Reduction, the Hon. Nina Tangri, Associate Minister of Small Business, MPP Alexa Gilmour, MPP Stephanie Smyth, MPP Monica Ciriello, and Ajax MPP Rob Cerjanec.

The discussion was productive and focused almost entirely on red tape and what could be done to streamline processes and make it easier for businesses of all kinds to operate successfully.

Not the kind of thing most entrepreneurs wake up excited to talk about.

But it's one of the biggest factors affecting businesses every single day.

I mean, let's face it. The more friction there is when you're trying to run a business, the harder it becomes to focus on the things that actually matter: serving customers, creating jobs, growing your company, and supporting your team.

One of the things I appreciated most about the day was hearing how similar the challenges are across Ontario. It didn't matter whether someone represented a large urban centre or a smaller community. Business owners are facing many of the same frustrations.

The message coming from chambers and boards of trade across the province was surprisingly unified.

We need to make it easier for businesses to function.

That doesn't mean removing necessary oversight or accountability. It means looking at systems through the eyes of the people who actually have to use them every day. If a process can be streamlined, streamline it. If paperwork can be simplified, simplify it.

Case in point, businesses in Ontario—and for that matter, across Canada—need to reduce red tape. It's holding back productivity, and business owners feel it deeply. CFIB research shows that 87% of small business owners agree excessive regulation hurts their productivity.

In a climate where Canada is seeing only modest productivity gains, it's incumbent on governments at all levels to work alongside businesses to reduce unnecessary hurdles. Every extra form, delay, and layer of complexity takes time away from innovation, investment, hiring, and growth.

That said, the day certainly showed my colleagues and me that government is listening and that we are in a moment where collaboration is of great interest to us all.

What I will say is that I feel in Ajax and Pickering, we have someone who listens.

I'm grateful to be able to speak with Ajax MPP Rob Cerjanec, who I know takes these conversations seriously and brings the concerns of his constituents forward. Not every business owner has the opportunity to sit in these rooms, and that's exactly why representation matters.

The conversations don't end when Advocacy Day wraps up. In many ways, they're just beginning.

Government continues to have discussions long after we leave Queen's Park, and it's important that the voices of business owners continue to be represented in those rooms as well. Knowing there are people willing to carry those conversations forward gives me confidence that the concerns of our local business community aren't being lost once the meeting ends.

We have a shared responsibility, particularly as the country navigates economic uncertainty and prepares for future trade discussions, including the renegotiation of CUSMA/USMCA.

Business leaders, chambers of commerce, boards of trade, and government representatives are all sitting at the same table recognizing that we must make Ontario—and Canada—as strong as possible when it comes to business.

For the sake of competitiveness and in the knowledge that we're facing this moment together.

Because at the end of the day, strong businesses create strong communities.

That matters, and I think we all understand what's at stake.

This kind of work doesn't start at Queen's Park. It starts long before that. It starts with a business owner who is frustrated by a process that doesn't make sense. It starts with an entrepreneur who has spent weeks waiting for a permit. It starts with someone trying to hire, grow, invest, or expand who encounters barriers that could be removed with a little more common sense and a little less bureaucracy.

Those experiences matter.

And when enough business owners share them, chambers of commerce and boards of trade can bring those concerns forward and help create meaningful conversations with decision-makers.

Look, I don't think anybody walked out of Queen's Park believing every challenge facing businesses was suddenly solved.

That's not realistic.

But I did leave encouraged.

I left feeling like there are people willing to listen, people willing to collaborate, and people who genuinely want to make it easier for businesses to succeed.

And for me, that's what Advocacy Day was really about.

Business owners sharing what's working, what's not, and where we can do better.

Because when local businesses succeed, communities succeed.

And that's something worth continuing to show up for.