ESDC’s Administrative Burden Baseline: Update 2022

The Administrative Burden Baseline (ABB) provides Canadians with a clear metric on the total number of requirements in federal regulations and associated forms that impose an administrative burden on business. This baseline contributes to the openness and transparency of the federal regulatory system.

All federal regulations administered by Employment and Social Development Canada that have requirements that impose administrative burden on business are identified below.

Based on active regulations that relate to ESDC, six meet the ABB guidance requirements and were in force as of June 30, 2022. ESDC’s 2022 count of regulatory-based requirements that impose a burden on business result in a net decrease of one from the 2021 count to reach 3,121.

The changes in ESDC’s count relate to one regulation:

• Canada Education Savings Regulations: the total ABB count decreased by one due to a duplication found in the previous count, regarding an item on the Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP) Trustee Identification Form.

It is important to note that ESDC administers regulatory-based requirements, some of which are defined by Treasury Board Secretariat as burdens to businesses, but in some cases, these requirements may lead to a direct benefit for businesses. For example, businesses applying to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (via requirements associated with Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations) can gain an employee upon completion of the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process. Other examples wherein ESDC’s business partners derive a direct benefit is from Registered Disability Savings Plans (via the Canada Disability Savings Regulations) and Registered Education Savings Plans (via the Canada Education Savings Regulations). The decision to deliver these incentives is made by each participating financial institution with full knowledge of the associated regulatory requirements that need to be met. This demonstrates the varying nature of ESDC’s programs, which could be considered when interpreting administrative burden requirement counts.

Contact person

Colin Spencer James
Employment and Social Development Canada
Phase IV 3^rd floor
140 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau QC K1A 0J9
E-mail: colin.s.james@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Related links

• Administrative Burden Baseline (2014) Baseline Count

ESDC’s Administrative Burden Baseline count for other previous years is available upon request.