Trade News

Decision and reasons issued Monday, February 13, 2012 IN THE MATTER OF appeals heard on November 17, 2011, pursuant to subsection 67(1) of the Customs Act, R.S.C. 1985 (2d Supp.), c. 1; AND IN THE MATTER OF 59 decisions of the President of the Canada Border Services Agency, dated March 28, April 26, May 16 and May 24, 2011, with respect to requests for re-determination pursuant to subsection 60(4) of the Customs Act. BETWEEN COMMONWEALTH WHOLESALE CORP. Appellant AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE CANADA BORDER SERVICES AGENCY

The following is excerpted from a 22 February 2012 news release by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today highlighted in Vancouver to the Dawa Business Group Inc. the recent accomplishments of his visit to China, which was led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Honourable Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), and Wai Young, Member of Parliament for Vancouver South, also attended the event.

The following is excerpted from a 22 February 2012 news release by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced today that Canada has signed a mutually beneficial Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on agriculture with Serbia that will help facilitate exports and boost Canada’s economy.

The following is excerpted from a 22 February 2012 news release by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. The Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for FedNor, today delivered a speech to representatives of Vancouver-area small and medium-sized enterprises on the Government’s efforts to cut red tape.

The following is from the 22 February 2012 edition of American Shipper. The number of Industry Integration Centers for Excellence and Expertise within U.S. Customs devoted to centralizing the import process for trusted shippers could double to four this fiscal year, Acting Deputy Commissioner Thomas Winkowski recently said.

The following is from the 22 February 2012 edition of American Shipper. The White House on Tuesday said the U.S.-South Korea free trade agreement will enter into force on March 15.

As previously communicated, the CFIA has implemented a new technology to support the process of transmitting import documentation. Following the implementation of this technology, it was discovered that various clients were receiving successful fax confirmations, however the packages were not being received by NISC and NSO. Please note that a fix will be implemented later this afternoon (22 February) to alleviate the issue.

Minutes of the BCCC OGD Subcommittee Meeting held on 6 May 2011 are now available on the BCCC Other Government Departments (OGD) Subcommittee page in the Advocacy Section of the CSCB members site. To access, please go to our website at www.cscb.ca, login, and look under “CSCB Advocacy”. _________________________________________________

CSCB member Milgram, with its head office in Montreal, has been named one of Canada's 50 best managed companies for 2011. Milgram was selected for its strategic planning, innovation, commitment to excellence, and continued strong performance throughout challenging economic times. Milgram’s commitment to its employees, clients, environment and community resonated with the judges, as did its commitment to adopt new technologies and develop new information management systems.

The following have been updated on the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada website: Section C: Carbon and Specialty Steel - new codes http://www.international.gc.ca/controls-controles/report-rapports/list_… B-4: Chicken ICL 96 - 104

The following is from the 20 February 2012 edition of the Journal of Commerce. Optimism is building for a deal on trade facilitation, but the Doha Round will have to forgo its all-or-nothing model When project logistics company Agility released its Emerging Markets Logistics Index 2012, 10 of the top-ranked countries hailed from the world’s poorest continent. There can be no doubt: Africa, with its rich natural resources and developing consumer market, is fast becoming the darling of global manufacturers and exporters.

The following is from the 21 February 2012 edition of the Journal of Commerce. HSBC Bank forecast the value of U.S. exports will grow 7.1 percent U.S. exports to China will rise at a faster rate than imports during the next five years, aided by an annual increase of nearly 12 percent in automobile exports, according to a HSBC Bank forecast.

The following is excerpted from a 21 February 2012 news release by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Canadian cattle ranchers and dairy farmers will now benefit from immediate access to the growing Peruvian market, after the Andean nation re-opened its doors to Canadian cattle imports, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced today.

Appeal No. Appeal Name Act AP-2009-014 Transport Desgagnés Inc. Customs Act AP-2010-006 Komatsu International (Canada) Inc. Customs Act AP-2010-033 AP-2010-042 Contech Holdings Canada Inc. Customs Act AP-2010-068 6572243 Canada Ltd. o/a Kwality Imports Customs Act AP-2011-008 Jockey Canada Company Customs Act

The following is from the 21 February 2012 edition of the Journal of Commerce. Customs and Border Protection has $140 million to operate and maintain a commercial trade processing system, but there’s no money in the 2012 budget to further develop the program, said Cynthia Allen, executive director of the Automated Commercial Environment.

The following is excerpted from a 21 February 2012 news release by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today announced that six promising Canadian digital media start-ups will take part in a new Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) initiative in New York City. The CTA initiative will give Canadian companies an innovative platform from which to access New York’s dynamic start-up technology market and potential investment opportunities.

The following is a CBSA message (EDI12-017) Please note that there will be changes to the list of HS codes subject to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requirements. These changes will be effective in the ACROSS system on Monday, February 27, 2012, and the CBSA website will be updated accordingly. Please see attachment. If you have questions on these changes please contact the CFIA EDI hotline 613-773-5322 or by e-mail at [email protected]

Order and reasons issued Friday, February 10, 2012 IN THE MATTER OF an application made by Mr. J. R. McNenly, pursuant to section 67.1 of the Customs Act, for an order extending the time to file a notice of appeal pursuant to subsection 67(1) of the Customs Act with respect to a decision of the President of the Canada Border Services Agency dated September 15, 2010. ORDER The Canadian International Trade Tribunal denies the application for an extension of time to file a notice of appeal pursuant to subsection 67(1) of the Customs Act.

This is a reminder that a full database backup of the production database (PROD) is scheduled for Saturday, March 3rd, 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 and 7am EST. _________________________________________________