Trade News

The following message is from CBSA (EDI10-037). We are currently experiencing intermittent problems processing inbound data and are unable to process outbound data for clients using the Customs Internet Gateway. There is no ETA.

The following is excerpted from the 7 May 2010 news release by DFAIT. The Honourable Peter Van Loan, Minister of International Trade, … concluded a successful visit to Europe with stops in Stockholm, Brussels and Madrid. He was there to promote Canada’s trade objectives and strengthen commercial relations with important European partners. During his visit to Europe, Minister Van Loan met with government officials to advance support for the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic And Trade Agreement negotiations.

The following is excerpted from today's edition of "The Star". The Canadian dollar was up more than 1.8 cents at Monday's open as financial markets reacted positively to news of a massive package to protect the embattled euro and contain the European debt crisis. The dollar opened North American trading Monday at 97.62 cents U.S., up 1.82 cents from Friday's close. The loonie was among a number currencies that fell last week as currency traders responded to fears that the Greek debt crisis would spread and affect the broader European economy.

The following editorial was written by Ken Lewenza, President of the Canadian Auto Workers for today's edition of "The Star". Prime Minister Stephen Harper speaks during a news conference at the EU-Canada summit last week in Brussels. The EU and Canada are negotiating a massive bilateral trade deal that Canadian Auto Workers President Ken Lewenza says could damage domestic industries and destroy jobs.

The following message is from CBSA (EDI10-036). Members are advised that the CSCB will be sending out additional information about the application of HST on customs brokers’ services shortly.

1. This notice announces the elimination of the maximum rates of customs duty on certain woolen fabrics in the Customs Tariff as of March 5, 2010. 2. Article 769 of Bill C-9, amends the Customs Tariff and states: Section XI in the List of Tariff Provisions set out in the schedule to the Act is amended by deleting Supplementary Note 1 and renumbering Supplementary Note 2 as Supplementary Note 1.

Brokers are advised that the correction period for APRIL 2010 Softwood Lumber permits ends Monday May 9th 2010, at 17:00 ET. We remind you of the importance of submitting correct information on permits as this is imperative to the operation of the Softwood Lumber Agreement. Please submit permit corrections for the month of April before the end of the correction period, as is the case for every allocation month of the year.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal … found that the dumping of polyiso insulation board from the United States had not caused injury and was not threatening to cause injury to the domestic industry. Anti-dumping duties will therefore not be collected by the Canada Border Services Agency. The complainant in this case was IKO Sales Ltd. of Toronto, Ontario. The Tribunal will issue the reasons for its finding on May 21, 2010.

The following is excerpted from today's edition of "globeandmail.com". The Canadian economy created a whopping 108,700 jobs last month – more than four times as many as expected – the largest monthly gain on record as the services sector added to payrolls. The jobless rate fell to 8.1 per cent in April from 8.2 per cent a month earlier, Statistics Canada said Friday. Economists had expected just 25,000 jobs in the month with the rate holding steady.

Chapter 12 was published to change the release recommendation from "Refuse Entry" to "Refer to CFIA-ISC" or "Approved" for the following HS Code, for all countries except the Continental United States with the end uses of Animal feed, Human Consumption and Propagation (growing or sowing). 12.09.99.0071.21 - Strawberry (seed)

Members may find of interest the Analysis of Regulatory Compliance Costs: Part I – Time/money saved, paperwork volume, and methods of compliance. The CSCB sits on CBSA's Business Simplification Working Group, a Border Commercial Consultative Committee (BCCC) subcommittee.

The following report was prepared by Ted Mallett, Vice-President & Chief Economist, Canadian Federation of Independent Business. Business confidence among owners of Canada’s small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) fell back in April. In its latest reading, CFIB’s Business Barometer® Index dropped to 66.4 from its March level of 69.9. These views suggest that the torrid pace of overall economic growth seen last winter is beginning to cool to more sustainable rates.

The following is excerpted from the 27 April 2010 edition of "globeandmail.com". Canadian companies can develop new export opportunities to Colombia – and steal market share from the United States – once a new free trade agreement is ratified with the South American nation, Colombian Trade Minister Luis Plata says. While talks toward a U.S.-Colombia free-trade agreement have stalled, Canada appears on track to pass a trade deal with Colombia in coming weeks, eliminating tariffs on products that are still subject to trade barriers with the U.S....

The following is excerpted from the 5 May 2010 edition of "globeandmail.com". The Canadian dollar swooned to a two-month low Wednesday as continued worries about European sovereign debt drove investors into the perceived safety of the U.S. currency. The loonie... dipped as low as 96.58 cents (U.S.), down almost a cent from Tuesday’s close of 97.56 cents. It recently inched back to 97.23 cents. The euro, meantime, hit a 14-month low against the U.S. dollar on worries Greece’s fiscal woes will spread to other indebted nations....

The following is excerpted from today's "globeandmail.com". A Canada-E.U. summit in Brussels on Wednesday exposed what appears to be an unbridgeable gulf between the two sides over the international campaign for a new global tax on banks. In a sneak preview of a debate that will come to a head at next month’s meeting of the Group of 20 in Toronto, European leaders argue a new tax would ensure money is set aside in the event of a future financial meltdown and would discourage risky banking.

1. The purpose of this customs notice is to advise that effective April 1, 2011, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will no longer accept generic itinerant carrier codes for any mode of transportation. 2. With the implementation of eManifest (advance commercial information) in the highway mode in September 2010, the CBSA will begin phasing in new policies and procedures. Carrier codes will become a regulatory requirement for all carriers, thereby harmonizing carrier identification with the eManifest initiative.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) recently conducted an evaluation of both the Sufferance and Customs Bonded Warehouse programs and have released the CBSA-Licensed Warehouse Programs: Sufferance and Customs Bonded Warehouses Evaluation Study. The study is available on CBSA website at: http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/ae-ve/2010/lw….

a) Chapter 01 was published to change the recommendation from "CBSA Inspection - Border Service Officers (BSO) trained and authorized in FPA inspection" to "Refer to CFIA - Veterinary inspection" for honeybee queens from Hawaii, USA. 01.06.90.2109.07 - Honey queen bees If you have any questions, please contact the local CFIA area animal import specialist for further information. A list of contact numbers is available on the CFIA website at: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/offbure.shtml.