As I said earlier, I myself am an entrepreneur. With respect to red tape, since I was already a manager before I started my company, I had a fairly good idea of the market and the field in question. Still I got in touch with the community economic development organization in our area. I said that I wanted to create a business plan and asked what I would need.
I was given a BDC template to fill out. I came back with this huge brick. I needed someone to help me. I drafted my business plan. Then, I was told that there was no funding available to help me with my business plan and that I had to use a consultant, which would cost me $5,000. I had already done all that. My plan was very long.
Put yourself in the shoes of young university graduates who want to start their own business because there aren't really any jobs where they live. Nobody is going to help with their business plans. And it will cost them $5,000. First, we have to wonder where they would get that money and, then consider that they do not necessarily have the experience I had that enabled me to draft most of my business plan myself.
Entrepreneurs' needs vary. If you are a francophone living in Saskatchewan and you want to work in French, it is even more difficult.
You were talking about red tape. I think that access to the funding, education, management, support and expertise the communities need is a very important aspect that is currently lacking.