Trade News

The following is excerpted from a 17 January 2012 news release by the Bank of Canada. The Bank of Canada today announced that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 1 per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 1 1/4 per cent and the deposit rate is 3/4 per cent.

The following is excerpted from the 17 January 2012 edition of Embassy Magazine. The Canadian government's introduction of two new programs could involve the sharing of sensitive personal information, such as fingerprints, from government to private-sector companies, and from government to government, which has privacy advocates concerned whether proper safeguards are being used to minimize risk.

The following is excerpted from the 17 January 2012 edition of Embassy Magazine. Canada's acceptance into the Trans-Pacific Partnership is not guaranteed but the government will likely have a better sense of whether it will be able to join the trade club in March, say trade analysts and observers. That's when the nine current TPP member countries meet in Australia for the next round of free-trade talks... This article is available in its entirety at:

The following is excerpted from the 17 January 2012 edition of The Montreal Gazette. The battle of the blocks has gone into another round. Montreal-based toymaker Mega Brands Inc. - maker of Mega Bloks, Rose Art, Mega Puzzles, Mega Games and Board Dudes - has filed an action against rival company Lego Juris A/S and Lego Group. It's seeking to invalidate Lego Juris A/S and Lego Group's 1999 functional U.S. trademark in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California... This article is available in its entirety at:

Batory Industries Co. 390 Colborne St., P.O. Box 504 Chatham, Ontario N7M 5K6 Cobblestone Kitchens Inc. 5185 General Road Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2K4 Dr. Oetker Canada Ltd. 2229 Drew Road Mississauga, Ontario L5S 1E5 Gourmet du Village 539 du Village Morin-Heights, Quebec J0R 1H0 Kingsmill Foods Company Ltd. 1399 Kennedy Road, Unit 17 Toronto, Ontario

The Department of Finance is currently reviewing a request for the removal of the customs duties on imports of oils and preparations thereof, having a viscosity of 7.44 mm2/sec or more at 37.80C. These goods are classified under tariff item Nos. 2710.19.91 and 2710.20.10 of the Customs Tariff, dutiable at 5% under the Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) Tariff, with a Free rate available under the General Preferential Tariff (GPT). Three specific oils at issue are Vacuum Gas Oil, Fuel Oil No.

Members may be interested in the following, published on 14 January 2012 in Part I of the Canada Gazette. 1. Under the Customs Act, Canadian International Trade Tribunal, Notice No. HA-2011-021. A. H. McElroy Sales & Service (Canada) Ltd. v. President of the Canada Border Services Agency. Appeal No.: AP-2011-028. Goods in Issue: Various models of self-propelled crawler-mounted fusion machines.

The following is from the 16 January 2012 edition of The Journal of Commerce. New commissioner David Aguilar vows to build on the foundation laid by trade facilitator Alan Bersin

The following is excerpted from the 13 January 2012 edition of The Journal of Commerce. Advocates consolidation of business service agencies to help boost exports President Obama on Friday announced major changes in the government’s business services agencies aimed at making it easier for small businesses companies to compete in the marketplace, create jobs and boost exports... This article is available in its entirety at:

The following is excerpted from the 13 January 2012 edition of CBC News. A surge in Canadian merchandise exports led by the auto and energy sectors powered up a bigger-than-expected $1.1-billion trade surplus in November, far outstripping what economists had expected but still unlikely to have much impact on fourth-quarter growth.

We are excited to announce that the enrolment for the CTCS (Certified Trade Compliance Specialist) program of study is now open. The enrolment is a two-step process:

a) Chapter 01 was published to streamline the conditions to the following HS codes for the EU Member States only. 01.01 Live horses, asses, mules and hinnies. This modification created a version change to the same HS codes for different countries. b) Chapter 01 was created to add the end use " Canadian animals returning to Canada" to the following HS codes for all countries. 01.06.19.2083.03 Personal dogs - accompanied. 01.06.19.2083.04 Personal dogs - unaccompanied.

The Notice of Commencement of Interim Review is available at: http://www.citt.gc.ca/dumping/requests/notices/rd2l001_e.asp __________________________________________________

Determination issued Wednesday, December 28, 2011 Reasons issued Thursday, January 12, 2012 IN THE MATTER OF a preliminary injury inquiry, pursuant to subsection 34(2) of the Special Import Measures Act, respecting: STAINLESS STEEL SINKS ORIGINATING IN OR EXPORTED FROM THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA The Statement of Reasons is available at: http://www.citt.gc.ca/dumping/preinq/determin/pi2l002_e.asp

Dumping and Subsidizing Starting Date Case No. Product 2012-03-12 NQ-2011-001 Pup Joints 2012-04-10 RD-2011-001 and RD-2011-003 Aluminum Extrusions __________________________________________________

The following is from the 11 January 2012 edition of American Shipper. In his new job as the Department of Homeland Security's assistant secretary for international affairs and chief diplomatic officer, Alan Bersin will likely try to replicate across multiple agencies the types of management, policy and structural reforms that became the hallmark of his 21-month term as U.S. Customs commissioner, his successor at Customs and Border Protection said Monday.

The following is excerpted from a 12 January 2012 news release by Export Development Canada. Rising momentum in the U.S. economy will power the world economy forward in 2012 despite a number of ongoing risks, according to a 2012 Global Export Forecast winter update by Export Development Canada (EDC).

The following is excerpted from a 12 January 2012 news release by Health Canada. The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, announced today the creation of a national advisory committee on Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs)

The following is excerpted from a 13 January 2012 release by Statistics Canada. Canada's merchandise exports increased 3.2%, while imports declined 0.8%. As a result, Canada's trade balance with the world went from a deficit of $487 million in October to a surplus of $1.1 billion in November. This release is available in its entirety at: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/120113/dq120113a-eng.htm __________________________________________________