Show your work

Dundergov repeated a strange Dandergov-era claim on Tuesday:

Newfoundland and Labrador has once again emerged as a national leader in red tape reduction according to an annual report released today by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). The report gives Newfoundland and Labrador a grade of B, second only to British Columbia.

“The Red Tape Reduction initiative in this province began in 2006, and has had resounding success to date,” said the Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Service NL. “The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has an ongoing commitment to improving regulatory processes across all of our programs and services.”

The original goal of the provincial Red Tape Reduction initiative was a 25 per cent reduction in red tape. This goal was surpassed within a three-year time frame, and the Provincial Government continues to achieve its objective of no net growth in the number of regulatory requirements. As of November 2011, this objective has been surpassed with a net reduction in regulatory requirements of two per cent since April 2009.

This corner will ask again:

How is this "red tape" measured, so that its reduction can be quantified so very precisely?

And what regulatory requirements have been abolished along the way?

Can a body get such information with resorting to protracted and orwellian (or possibly kafkaesque) Access to Information requests?