Derek Nighbor

Canada’s leading industry groups say Prime Minister Mark Carney’s effort to cut red tape is floundering, costing the country billions more in trade losses than Trump’s tariffs. Forestry, oil and gas, and auto industry representatives said they are frustrated at the pace of regulatory reform that is central to Carney’s efforts to insulate Canada from Trump’s devastating trade war. “Ottawa needs to align its regulatory policy objectives with economic reality,” said Derek Nighbor, president of the Forest Products Association of Canada, which represents one of the country’s largest employers. Nighbor said over the past decade overlapping government policies, mostly environmental regulation, have “chilled strategic investments” and become “a productivity and competitiveness killer, driving away investment”. Last week, Carney announced a “first-ever” investment summit in Toronto. …But industry groups warn this plan is impeded by the slow implementation of a red-tape review that found nearly 500 ways to streamline services.