According to a report by the Canadian Federation Of Independent Business (CFIB) the number one obstacle in cross-border trade for smaller companies in Canada and the United States relates to the complexity of the process and its related paperwork.
A CFIA report titled "Border Barriers: SMEs' experience with cross-border trade" finds that the common thread in the problems faced by small business is the varying requirements of government agencies.
The report's authors interviewed 12 small business owners: eight Canadian and four American.
The data shows the common thread in the problems faced by small business is the varying requirements of government agencies and complicated rules and regulations. "And, although the requirements of any one entity may not be unreasonable, it is the combined effects that impede SME participation in cross-border trade," said CFIB vice president, national affairs, Corinne Pohlmann.
"Simple measures, such as providing information in plain language, making information sources readily accessible and easy to find, providing contact information (email/telephone) to respond to questions and creating a one-stop web portal with trade and border information specific to SMEs, will help address some of these issues," said Pohlmann.
