Red Tape Reduction Progress Report
Updated: April 23, 2026
Context
On July 9, 2025, the President of the Treasury Board announced a Red Tape Review across the federal regulatory system. The review focusses on cutting red tape, including complicated or outdated processes, unnecessary, duplicative or overly burdensome rules, or inefficient or unpredictable regulatory administration or service delivery.
As an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates the Canadian communications sector in the public interest, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) gathers the views of Canadians through a range of processes, including public hearings, and makes decisions based on the public record. Within this operating reality, the CRTC is doing its part to cut red tape. The priorities set out in the CRTC’s 2026-2027 Strategic Plan reflect this focus.
Executive summary
Since the CRTC published its initial Red Tape Reduction Progress Report in September 2025, the CRTC has continued to take action to reduce administrative and regulatory burden, streamline processes, and improve transparency and accessibility. While this work is well underway, there is more to do, and the CRTC will continue to drive change in these areas. This April 2026 update outlines the work that the CRTC has done so far to reduce red tape.
First, the CRTC is using a regulatory burden lens as it reviews and modernizes its regulatory frameworks. Through its public consultations, it is ensuring that regulations are efficient and proportionate. For example, the CRTC is streamlining requirements for radio stations, including a newly announced policy on licences that will not expire, which will save stations time and money on renewal applications.
Second, the CRTC has taken significant steps to streamline processes and the volume of information that stakeholders must provide. For example, the CRTC has reduced the amount of information required from Broadband Fund applicants to accelerate investment in Internet and cellphone infrastructure projects for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.
Finally, the CRTC is creating a more predictable regulatory environment by improving transparency and accessibility. For example, the CRTC is publishing and updating its regulatory plans (e.g., timing and sequencing of upcoming consultations). This facilitates participation and increases predictability by providing stakeholders with clear plans on future consultations.
Progress achieved
The charts below outline the implemented work, what is currently ongoing (including new commitments) and the results to date for the CRTC’s initiatives to reduce regulatory burden, streamline processes, and improve transparency and accessibility. The charts follow the timelines below:
- Short-term: within four months; and
- Medium-term: four to sixteen months.
While the CRTC remains focused on addressing burden and simplifying its processes, it has also heard the calls to publish decisions more quickly. The CRTC has taken steps to deliver faster results, and this approach is working. For example, the CRTC closed nearly 70% more “Part 1” applications from stakeholders in 2025 than it did in 2024 while receiving 30% more applications during that period.
Building on this work, the CRTC is actively reviewing its internal processes, including by leveraging “lean” principles and exploring new tools to help make its work more efficient.
Reducing regulatory burden
The CRTC continues to apply a regulatory burden lens as it modernizes its frameworks, ensuring that through public consultations, its rules are efficient, proportionate, and responsive to the needs of Canadians.
| Action | Outcome | Progress | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reviewing the regulatory framework for radio stations | Reduce regulatory burden on stations and streamline their obligations. | Implemented |
New licences for most stations will be issued without an end date, and getting certain new licences is now simpler (Regulatory Policy 2025-265). This cuts paperwork and makes it easier for stations to operate. |
| Systematically seeking views about regulatory burden in future public consultations New | Assess regulatory burden in upcoming consultations and CRTC decisions. | Implemented |
CRTC consultations ask how regulations could be simpler, so red tape can be reduced. |
| Increasing the revenue threshold for telecommunications fees and National Contribution Fund contributions New | Lower reporting requirements and costs for small telecommunications service providers. | Implemented |
Starting January 1, 2027, small telecom companies will have fewer reporting rules and lower regulatory costs (Decision 2026‑32). As a result, about 40% fewer companies will need to contribute to the National Contribution Fund, reducing paperwork and making the system more efficient. |
| Reviewing the regulatory policy on the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS) | Ensure consumers are aware of their options to resolve complaints about their Internet, cellphone and television services more efficiently and effectively. | Implemented |
Held a consultation on introducing clearer standardized rules for when consumers are notified about the CCTS (Notice of Consultation 2025-274). |
| Ongoing; Short-term |
Releasing a decision encouraging faster complaint resolution. | ||
| Reviewing the amount of information required from industry when registering or providing data | Eliminate outdated forms and reporting requirements. | Implemented |
As a part of ongoing work to give traditional and online services flexibility to invest in and promote Canadian content, the CRTC cut unnecessary reporting by ending the requirement to submit the same financial information more than once (Regulatory Policy 2025-299). |
| Ongoing; Medium-term |
Continuing to implement the modernized Broadcasting Act with the goal of making the rules fairer across broadcasters. To do this, the CRTC is reviewing data requirements and looking for ways to simplify reporting, including through ongoing proceedings (Notices of Consultation 2025-02 and 2025-52). | ||
| Simplifying and consolidating the CRTC consumer protection codes | Replace a series of codes with one simple code for the benefit of consumers and industry. | Ongoing; Medium-term |
Launching a consultation to combine the Wireless Code, the Internet Code, the Deposit and Disconnection Code (external link) and the Television Service Provider Code into one clear set of rules, making protections easier to understand and helping resolve complaints faster. |
Streamlining processes
The CRTC is building on its efforts to take a more strategic, streamlined approach to the information it requires from stakeholders, focusing on what is necessary and meaningful to regulate in the public interest.
| Action | Outcome | Progress | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simplifying the application process for the Broadband Fund | Reduce the amount of information required from applicants to accelerate investment in Internet projects for rural, remote, and Indigenous communities. | Implemented |
Developed a new online application system that is simpler and faster, with fewer eligibility criteria, and reduced data and information requirements. |
| Introducing simplified self-identification for Indigenous participants | Ensure policies better support Indigenous perspectives. | Implemented |
Indigenous participants can self‑identify, which helps the CRTC remove unnecessary paperwork for them and ensure that policies reflect Indigenous perspectives. |
| Streamlining reporting requirements for digital nuisance calls / scam calls New | Eliminate redundant reporting. | Implemented |
Most telecom providers are no longer required to file semi‑annual reports (Decision 2025-343). |
Improving transparency and accessibility
The CRTC is reinforcing its commitment to create a more predictable regulatory environment by improving transparency and accessibility, making it easier – and faster – for Canadians and stakeholders to participate in its consultations.
| Action | Outcome | Progress | Updates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publishing and updating the CRTC’s regulatory plans (e.g., timing and sequencing of upcoming consultations) | Facilitate participation and increase predictability by providing stakeholders with clear plans on upcoming public consultations. | Implemented |
Published regulatory processes to improve predictability and help stakeholders plan and prepare for proceedings. References: |
| Posting applications from stakeholders to the CRTC’s website when they are received | Provide stakeholders with access to applications to the CRTC earlier, allowing for more timely engagement and faster decisions. | Implemented |
Applications are posted as soon as possible once received. |
| Tailoring communications and consultations to align with stakeholders’ preferred style of engagement | Increase accessibility of consultations by making it easier for diverse groups to participate (e.g., oral interventions for Indigenous peoples, and information in sign language and Indigenous languages). | Implemented |
Tailored engagement plans are put in place so different groups can take part and share their views in ways that work best for them. References: |
| Publishing accommodation guidance on the CRTC’s website | Increase accessibility of consultations by minimizing barriers to participation for persons with disabilities. | Implemented |
Accessibility and accommodations guidelines are available on the CRTC website. Audio American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québécoise (LSQ) versions are also available. |
| Simplifying regulatory language in CRTC products | Increase use of plain language to ensure a better understanding of rules and regulations. | Implemented |
CRTC products are drafted using plain language to make sure regulatory guidance and rules are clear, accessible, and easy to understand. |
| Engaging proactively with diverse communities to share relevant information | Support better public policy outcomes through engagement with diverse communities (e.g., Indigenous, accessibility, and official language minority communities (OLMCs)). | Implemented |
Engaged with Indigenous groups and OLMCs to notify them of proceedings and recently published decisions of interest that may affect them. Created clear guidelines for OLMCs to make it easier, more predictable, and less paperwork‑heavy to take part in CRTC proceedings. Posting more information, including Notices of Consultation, in sign language (ASL/LSQ) on the CRTC website. |
| Simplifying and speeding up the funding application process for individuals and groups that represent the public interest | Strengthen public interest participation in CRTC proceedings. | Implemented |
Launched a public consultation to consider how the CRTC can better support public interest participation in its proceedings (Notice of Consultation 2025-94). |
| Improving navigation on the CRTC website | Ensure that critical information is easily accessible. | Implemented |
Improved the ability to find information about daily publications and regulatory updates by updating the What’s new: decisions, applications, and letters page. |
| Ongoing; Medium-term |
Enhancing the Support Centre to help Canadians find answers faster. |
Next steps
The CRTC is continuing its efforts to reduce regulatory burden, streamline processes, and improve transparency and accessibility. It is committed to ongoing tracking and reporting on its progress to cut red tape. An update is planned for fall 2026.
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