Trade News

The following is excerpted from a 29 December 2011 announcement by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

The following is excerpted from a 29 December 2011 news release by the Department of Finance Canada. The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today highlighted tax relief coming into effect in 2012 to foster jobs and growth.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (the Tribunal) hereby gives notice that, pursuant to subsection 76.01(1) of the Special Import Measures Act (SIMA), it has initiated an interim review of its finding made on November 24, 2009, in Inquiry No. NQ-2009-002, concerning the dumping of mattress innerspring units, with or without edgeguards, used in the manufacture of innerspring mattresses, originating in or exported from the People’s Republic of China. The Notice of Commencement of Interim Review is available in its entirety at:

Determination issued Wednesday, December 28, 2011 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 Preliminary Determination of Injury is available at: http://www.citt.gc.ca/dumping/preinq/determin/pi2l002_e.asp _____________________________________________

The following is excerpted from a 28 December 2011 news release by the Department of Finance Canada. The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today launched consultations to examine Canada’s foreign trade zone (FTZ)-like policies and programs, further to the commitment outlined in Budget 2011, the Next Phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan.

The following is a release from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Protecting Canada’s plant resources The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is Canada’s national plant protection organization. The CFIA is entrusted with this responsibility as part of its overall mandate to protect Canada’s food, plant and animal resources.

The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today released The Fiscal Monitor for October 2011. HIGHLIGHTS OCTOBER 2011: BUDGETARY DEFICIT OF $2.2 BILLION There was a budgetary deficit of $2.2 billion in October 2011, compared to a deficit of $4.1 billion in October 2010.

The following is from a December 23 release from the Business Recorder. Leaders of the South American trade bloc Mercosur agreed here to temporarily raise tariffs on products coming from outside of the trade zone, to offset "trade imbalances" caused by the global financial crisis.

The following is a 22 December 2011 release from Transport Canada. The Government of Canada today welcomed the opportunity to respond officially to the United States (U.S.) Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) Notice of Inquiry, Docket 11-19. Canada presented a fact-based submission underscoring the importance to both countries of the integrated North American economy and the strong Canada-U.S. trade relationship.

The following is a CBSA message (EDI11-90 Update). The source of our system slowdown has been isolated and resolved. We are currently now experiencing a delay of less than 5 hours in processing Electronic Releases, RNS, CSA, ACI Marine, ACI Air, ACI eManifest Highway as well as Rail and Highway Cargo. This does not impact CADEX and CUSDEC B3 processing.

The following is from 23 December 2011 Journal of Commerce.

Members may be interested in the following, published on 24 December 2011 in Part I of the Canada Gazette.

The following is now available on the CBSA Web site: Customs Notice 11-027,New Import Requirements for Aquatic Animals Under the Health of Animals Regulations http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/cn-ad/cn11-027-eng.html

Decision and reasons issued Thursday, December 22, 2011 IN THE MATTER OF an appeal heard on September 22, 2011 pursuant to subsection 67(1) of the Customs Act, R.S.C. 1985 (2d Supp.), c. 1; AND IN THE MATTER OF eight decisions of the President of the Canada Border Services Agency, dated January 26, 2011, with respect to a request for re-determination pursuant to subsection 60(4) of the Customs Act. BETWEEN CE FRANKLIN LTD. Appellant

The following is excerpted from 23 December 2011 news release by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today announced new sanctions on Syria’s Assad regime in response to its ongoing and escalating repression of Syrians: “Despite increased international condemnation, the senseless violence against the Syrian people continues to claim lives.

Enclosed please find a service update from CN. If you would like to see the original web page, including a map of the affected areas, please visit: http://www.cn.ca/service. U.S.A. - IOWA/NEBRASKA OPERATIONS - CN had no access to our yards at Council Bluffs, IA and Omaha, NE since early June; some of our trackage was compromised by washouts and flooding that occurred earlier.

Further to CBSA's previous message, CBSA is currently experiencing a delay of 3 hours in processing Electronic Releases. This is also affecting CFIA EDI releases. At this time we are unable to determine when service will be restored, however, we will keep you informed as information becomes available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank you for your cooperation. Contact Times and Phone Numbers:

The following is a CBSA message (EDI11-090). We are currently experiencing a delay of 3 hours in processing Electronic Releases, RNS, CSA, ACI Marine, ACI Air, ACI eManifest Highway as well as Rail and Highway Cargo. This does not impact CADEX and CUSDEC B3 processing.

CBSA has released the following information on 22 December 2011 addressing PIP members. Please be advised that effective March 1, 2012, the current International Organization for Standardization (ISO) mechanical seal standard (ISO / PAS 17712) will be replaced with a new ISO standard – ISO 17712:2010. The new standard has the following compliance requirements:

The following is a 22 December 2011 notice from the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada has launched an on-line consultation on Open Government and is inviting all Canadians to participate. The consultation will continue until January 16, 2012 and can be accessed from the Open Government web site at: http://www.open.gc.ca/index-eng.asp.