Trade News

On 2-4 February 2011, statisticians from developed and developing economies will discuss methods on how to measure trade accurately, in Geneva at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The issue of trade is high on the political agenda, as was evident in the recent G20 meeting in Seoul where the world leaders wanted to closely monitor and reduce global trade imbalances. Getting the numbers right is therefore essential.

The following is a 28 January 2011 news release by Reuters Canada. Canada's dollar is likely to prove resilient on the back of relatively strong commodity prices and healthy public finances, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said on Friday. "We're not going back to the old days, the Canadian dollar (at) 65 cents, 75 cents, that led to some inefficiencies in business," Flaherty told Reuters Insider TV on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The following is from the 27 January 2011 edition of Canadian Transportation and Logistics ”ctl.ca”. The Port of Saint John exceeded 30 million metric tonnes of cargo in a single year for the first time ever in 2010. Cargo statistics released by the Saint John Port Authority show traffic recovery was experienced in majority of sectors through the year. A 13% increase in total port traffic was experienced with tonnage reaching 30,500,000 metric tonnes.

The following is from the 27 January 2011 edition of Canadian Transportation and Logistics ”ctl.ca”. Canadian railways carried 24.8 million tonnes of freight in November, up 7.9% from the same month in 2009, according to a report from Statistics Canada. In terms of tonnage, non-intermodal domestic freight loadings were the largest contributing factor behind this increase, according to the report.

The following is a 27 January 2011 news release by Transport Canada. The Honourable Rob Nicholson, Member of Parliament for Niagara Falls, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Dr. Kenneth E. Loucks, chair of the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission, today celebrated the completion of the central plaza building at the Queenston-Lewiston International Bridge.

Further to our message of 24 November 2010, CFIA has provided the following reminder: This notice is to remind importers and brokers that phase 4 implementation of the changes to import notification requirements for products in the non-federally registered food sector will come into effect on February 07, 2011. Annex 1 of the Notice to Importers and Brokers - Phase 4 on the CFIA website has been updated to include the OGD extension codes for the commodities relevant to this phase.

The draft CFIA directive D-11-01 Phytosanitary Requirements for Plants for Planting and Fresh Decorative Branches to Prevent the Entry and Spread of Anoplophora spp is available here . The requirements included in this directive are intended to mitigate the risk of unintentional introduction of these quarantine pests to Canada with imported propagative plant material and decorative branches.

International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan to Attend World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Following Visit to Morocco The following is a 27 January 2011 media advisory by DFAIT. Visit to focus on promoting Canada as the strategic partner for free trade and global investment The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, will travel to Davos, Switzerland, following his visit to Morocco.

The following is a 27 January 2011 news release by the Prime Minister's Office. Harper Government committed to creating new jobs and economic growth by opening markets for Canadian farmers and businesses

The following is from the 27 January 2011 edition of "globeandmail.com". The U.S. economy is reawakening, and that bodes well for Canadian exports. The country's exports are expected to climb 5.8 per cent this year, according to Export Development Canada's quarterly forecast. A revival in the auto sector will drive the gains - its sees 10.9-per-cent growth in the sector this year after auto exports bounced 38.4 per cent higher in 2010.

The "Country Freedom Recognition" page has been amended, and we now have available the "Country animal health status as evaluated by Canada". Please view: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/disemala/recotab/recotabe.sht…

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has conducted several verifications of imported logs from the United States and identified some irregularities on customs declaration forms. The use of “Mixed hardwood logs” or not declaring all wooden species on customs declaration forms contravene regulatory requirements of the CFIA and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). To this effect, all species of imported logs must be correctly declared, as some species have particular import requirements for allowance into Canada.

The following is a 26 January 2011 news release by CBSA. Today, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) marks International Customs Day to recognize the contribution of customs services in making Canada's border safe and secure. Guided by the theme "Knowledge, a catalyst for Customs excellence," this year's International Customs Day will be devoted to promoting knowledge, learning, management development and professional training.

The following message is from Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, World Customs Organization (WCO) regarding International Customs Day 2011. Knowledge is now a definitive part of today's political and business environment. Terms such as a 'knowledge-based society', the 'knowledge economy' and 'knowledge management' now abound and it stands to reason that knowledge has become just as important for Customs administrations and their international trade stakeholders.

February 3, 2011 at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier (Ottawa)

The following is an 26 January 2011 news release by Department of Finance. The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, joined other Ministers across the country today to highlight tax relief for Canada’s job creators. “The economy remains our Government’s top priority. That is why we are keeping taxes low for job creators to grow our economy and create jobs for Canadian workers,” said Minister Flaherty, speaking at an event at AGS Automotive Systems in Oshawa.

As you are aware, on October 31, 2010, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) made eManifest electronic data interchange (EDI) systems available to highway carriers, or their service providers, for the transmission of cargo and conveyance data before arriving at the border.

The following directives have been revised:

January 26 is World Customs Day and customs organizations around the globe will be celebrating. These year’s theme is “Knowledge, a catalyst for Customs excellence”. On January 26, the WCO will release the Secretary General's International Customs Day Message. You can have a look at the WCO’s official programme here. Here is a look at what else is going on: