ARCHIVED - Industry Canada

BizPaL is a unique collaboration of federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments working together in a new service delivery model to improve access to information on permits and licences needed from all orders of government to start or operate a business.

Integrated into local government websites or portals, BizPaL provides a single point of contact for entrepreneurs, enabling them to quickly learn which permits and licences they will need from municipal, provincial/territorial and federal governments.

Federal funding supports secretariat services, expansion and development of the service and the federal role. None of the participants (provinces/territories/municipalities) receive federal funds for the BizPaL initiative. They provide in-kind support in their respective jurisdictions. Provincial and territorial participants also contribute funds to a specified purpose account to support basic operating costs in accordance with a cost-sharing formula based on population size.

• Increased awareness of and access to business permits and licences from all orders of government.
• Increased cost savings for businesses by avoiding involuntary non-compliance.
• Support government efforts to reduce the paperwork burden and red tape that face small business owners and operators.

BizPaL represents a shared governance model that involves participants from the federal, provincial/territorial and local/municipal levels of government. Industry Canada manages the expansion and evolution of the BizPaL service and develops relationships among participating jurisdictions.

Although governance is shared through various participant committees, Industry Canada is accountable for the federal resources contributed to the BizPaL initiative. In addition, Industry Canada is responsible for enlisting the participation of federal government departments to BizPaL and managing the national BizPaL office.

The Canada Business Network was established to improve service to small business and start-up entrepreneurs by providing a comprehensive first stop for information on government services, programs and compliance requirements from federal and provincial/territorial levels of government.

On behalf of the Government of Canada and its partners, Canada Business delivers a host of information products and resources through a variety of channels across Canada (web, in-person, telephone). Through its collaboration with the provinces and territories, information products and resources are supplemented by jurisdictionally relevant content — providing a truly client-centred, integrated information service.

• Increased awareness and access to government business-related information, programs and services and facilitated compliance for business
• Increased use of self-service channels
• Reduced complexity in accessing programs and services and compliance requirements for SMEs
• Improved SME business planning and market research

The Canada Business Network is managed on behalf of the federal government by Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions (CED), Industry Canada and Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD).

The lead organizations are responsible for ensuring compliance with all federal policies affecting program delivery in a collaborative environment, particularly policies on topics such as official languages, accessibility, access to information and privacy, federal identity and alternative service delivery.