Trade News

CBSA has advised that the Excel spread sheet sent on April 23rd listing NRCan regulated goods indicated an expiry date of June 6 for certain HS classifications. This was incorrect and an expiry date of May 1 should have been indicated. The spread sheet has been updated and it should be noted that the list on CBSA’s website at this URL is correct: http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/eservices/ogd-amg/hs-sh-eng.html#nrcan2

The CSCB has reviewed the policy regarding the awarding of CCS points for events that do not fall within the current time frame requirements. CCS designates are reminded of the current policy which provides that events must be at least 3 hours duration in order to be considered for the minimum of 5 CCS points. This policy review was prompted by the fact that webinars, including the one hosted by FITT in conjunction with the CSCB on April 25th, are now a common source of information. However, these webinars are rarely 3 hours in length.

This is a reminder that a full database backup of the production database (PROD) is scheduled for Saturday, May 5th, 2012. CFIA systems will be unavailable from 3am to 7am EST. Please note that full database backups of the production database (PROD) are scheduled for the first Saturday of every month between 3am to 7am EST. _________________________________________________

Members may be interested in the following, published on 28 April 2012 in Part I of the Canada Gazette. 1. Under the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, Special Import Measures Act. Notice No. HA-2012-002. United Wood Frames Inc. v. President of the Canada Border Services Agency Goods in Issue: Mattress innerspring units Issue: Whether the correct amount of anti-dumping duty was assessed on the goods.

The following is excerpted from a 30 April 2012 speech by Timothy Lane, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada. Good morning. It’s a pleasure to be with you as you reflect on the challenges facing the North American transport and logistics industries in the current global economic environment. Your industries are inextricably linked with the wider economy: they enable other economic activity by connecting producers with their suppliers and markets elsewhere in Canada and around the world.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) would like to remind industry that the use of trade-marks in labelling and advertising of food sold in Canada must comply with applicable federal food legislation, including the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (CPLA). A trade-mark is a word (or words), a design, or a combination of these, to identify the goods or services of one person or organization.

The following is excerpted from the 27 April 2012 edition of The Globe and Mail. Negotiations on the free-trade agreement between Canada and the European Union – the largest market in the world – are expected to conclude this year. This is vital, as Canada’s trade policy agenda has largely been stalled for a generation.

The following is excerpted from the 30 April 2012 edition of Industry Week. Beijing on Monday unveiled guidelines aimed at boosting imports, just days ahead of a key meeting with the United States expected to address China's politically sensitive trade surplus. The powerful State Council, or cabinet, said China will "appropriately" increase the scale of imports to encourage more balanced trade and reduce trade friction, according to a document posted on the central-government website. This article is available in its entirety at:

The following is excerpted from the 28 April 2012 edition of The Montreal Gazette. The Conservative government moved Friday to fill a public-relations vacuum that has enveloped free-trade talks between Canada and the European Union, holding 18 public events nationwide and launching an online portal with facts and myths about the deal. The Conservatives have talked about the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) for weeks, but without being able to divulge the text of the agreement. An information vacuum ensued, with critics filling the hole.

The following is excerpted from a 30 April 2012 release by Statistics Canada. Real gross domestic product declined 0.2% in February. Temporary closures in mining and other goods-producing industries contributed to the decline. Decreases in mining and oil and gas extraction, manufacturing, utilities as well as forestry and logging outpaced advances in construction. In service-producing industries, gains in wholesale trade and in the finance and insurance sector outweighed declines in retail trade and in the transportation and warehousing sector.

The quarterly index of the Canada Gazette is now available. This index includes edition numbers 1 - 13, from January 1, 2012 – March 31, 2012. http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2012/indexq1-eng.html _________________________________________________

The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today released The Fiscal Monitor for February 2012. Highlights February 2012: budgetary surplus of $1.5 billion There was a budgetary surplus of $1.5 billion in February 2012, compared to a deficit of $0.6 billion in February 2011. The entire document is available here: http://www.fin.gc.ca/n12/12-051-eng.asp _________________________________________________

The following is excerpted from the 27 April 2012 edition of CBC News. The Canadian dollar climbed above the $1.02 US level for the first time in seven months on Friday as the currency continued to rally following the Bank of Canada's recent shift to a more hawkish tone and U.S. GDP figures disappointed the markets. The loonie traded as high as $1.0204 before easing back to close at $1.0194, a gain of 3/10ths of a cent from Thursday's close. This article is available in its entirety at:

Chapter 12 was published to streamline the import conditions for the following HS codes. 12.11.90.3034 - Mint - with or without roots (fresh or chilled) 12.11.90.3035 - Basil - with or without root (fresh or chilled) 12.11.90.3036 - Rosemary - with or without roots (fresh or chilled) 12.11.90.3037 - Sage - with or without roots (fresh or chilled) Please check your version number before submitting through EDI. If you have any questions, please contact your Import Service Centre.

The following meat hygiene directives are now available in HTML and PDF versions at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/eng/1331922875874/1331923733369 MHD 2012-20 Chapter 11 - Section 11.7.3 - Malaysia MHD 2012-17 Chapter 11 - Section 11.7.3 – Korea (Republic of) The PDF version of directives should be used for maintaining print copies of the meat hygiene manual of procedures. _________________________________________________

The following is excerpted from a 26 April 2012 news release by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz completed a successful trade mission to Morocco in which he discussed the mutual benefits of a Canada-Morocco free trade agreement (FTA), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on agricultural co-operation and promoted Canada as a leading supplier of high-quality durum wheat, pulses and dairy genetics.

The following is excerpted from the 27 April 2012 edition of The Globe and Mail. Negotiations on the free-trade agreement between Canada and the European Union – the largest market in the world – are expected to conclude this year. This is vital, as Canada’s trade policy agenda has largely been stalled for a generation.

Beginning in May 2012 FedEx will introduce a new method for receiving FedEx Ground clearance documents for submission to the Canada Border Services Agency. This will allow customs brokers to expedite the clearance of FedEx Ground shipments for our mutual customers. Additional details are available here. _________________________________________________

Decision issued Wednesday, April 11, 2012 Reasons issued Friday, April 13, 2012 IN THE MATTER OF an appeal heard on December 13, 2011, pursuant to subsection 67(1) of the Customs Act, R.S.C. 1985 (2d Supp.), c. 1; AND IN THE MATTER OF a decision of the President of the Canada Border Services Agency, dated May 12, 2011, with respect to a request for re-determination pursuant to subsection 60(4) of the Customs Act. BETWEEN HBC IMPORTS C/O ZELLERS INC. Appellant AND