Bill C-291 Small Businesses
C-291 An Act to Amend the Department of Industry Act (Small Businesses)
Short Title: An Act to Amend the Department of Industry Act (Small Businesses)
Bill Type: Private Member’s Bill
Bill Sponsor: Elizabeth May (Saanich—Gulf Islands)
Status: Outside the Order of Precedence — Introduced June 17, 2026. This Bill is not currently scheduled for further study.
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What is this Bill For?
Bill C-291 would require the Government to produce a Small Business Impact Assessment for every Legislative initiative that could have a significant effect on Canadian small businesses. The assessment would be tabled in Parliament and for regulations, published in the Canada Gazette. The Bill also adds "protect and promote the role of small businesses" as an official mandate of the Minister of Industry.
WHO GAINS POWER
The Minister of Industry — gains a new mandate to protect and promote small businesses and a new duty to examine every Bill and regulation for significant small business impact.
WHO LOSES POWER
No one loses power in a traditional sense. However, Government loses the ability to introduce Legislation or regulations without being required to assess and publicly report the small business impact first.
WHO GAINS MONEY
No direct money transfers. Small businesses could benefit indirectly if the assessments lead to Legislative changes that reduce compliance costs or improve market access.
WHO LOSES MONEY
No direct money transfers. The Government would incur administrative costs to produce the assessments.
THE CATCH
⚠️ The Assessment is advisory only — the Bill requires the Minister to produce and table a Small Business Impact Assessment but nothing in the Bill requires Parliament or the Government to act on it. A Bill or regulation could still pass even if the assessment finds significant negative impact on small businesses.
⚠️ "Significant effect" is undefined in the Bill — the threshold for when an assessment is triggered is left to regulations made by the Governor in Council. The Government could set that bar very high, limiting how often assessments are actually required.
⚠️ The Governor in Council controls the process — the regulations governing what must be in each assessment, how it is prepared and what "net positive impact" means are all set by the Governor in Council on the Minister's recommendation. The substance of the requirement could be shaped significantly by the very Government the Bill is meant to hold accountable.