Members of the Customs & Legislation (C&L) and Trade Security (TSC) committees received an update on CBSA's plans for the trusted trader programs.

At the invitation of the association, Joy Aldous, Director, Trusted Trader Programs, Canada Border Services Agency met with over 40 members of the Customs & Legislation (C&L) and Trade Security (TSC) committees via teleconference on June 14, 2010. Joy was asked to address the agency’s plans for trusted trader programs moving forward. The joint meeting was chaired by Emil Fiorantis, co-chair of the TSC.

Joy provided an overview of the existing programs, including Partners in Protection (PIP); Customs Self-Assessment (CSA); Free and Secure Trade (FAST); and Partners in Compliance (PIC), which is still a pilot program. She also highlighted the benefits of joining the programs for industry; their current status; and next steps.

Joy also discussed CBSA’s new Trusted Trader Program strategy which officials began working on following the agency’s reorganization in April 2010. CBSA is seeking to develop a more cohesive strategy that will assist in facilitating the movement of low-risk goods in the supply chain. The agency’s goal is to develop an integrated trusted trader program model with different levels (tiers) that builds upon each of the existing programs and combines functions where overlap in processes currently exist. Ensuring better alignment with U.S. programs, proceeding with CSA offshore expansion, and analyzing extending benefits under the World Customs Organization’s SAFE Framework are also identified as key elements of CBSA’s strategy.

For a copy of CBSA’s presentation, please contact Amesika Baëta, Committee Director at abaeta@iecanada.com.

For purposes of consulting with the trade community about its trusted trader programs strategy, the CBSA has established a subcommittee of the Border Commercial Consultative Committee (BCCC), the Trusted Traders Programs Subcommittee. Carol Osmond and Emil Fiorantis are representing I.E.Canada on this subcommittee. 

This new BCCC Trusted Traders Programs Subcommittee met for the first time via conference call on June 7, 2010. The CBSA co-chair is Sara Wiebe, Director General, Pre-Border Programs Directorate, Programs Branch. During that initial meeting participants discussed the subcommittee’s terms of reference, nominated an industry co-chair, Matthew Wilson from the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA), and an alternate, Carol Osmond, and began to raise issues to be included on a subcommittee issues log.  

To support I.E.Canada’s representatives on the subcommittee, the C&L and TSC committees have established a joint working group of I.E.Canada members. This working group met for the first time via conference call on June 21, 2010 in preparation for the first in person meeting of the Trusted Traders Program Subcommittee, which was held on June 23, 2010. The working group had a very fruitful discussion regarding the subcommittee draft issues log and suggested a number of issues to be added, which were submitted in advance of the subcommittee meeting to CBSA. If you are interested in participating in the working group, please contact Amesika.

The subcommittee meeting held in Toronto on June 23, 2010 was co-chaired by Sara Wiebe and Carol Osmond in Mathew Wilson’s absence. At this meeting considerable time was spent discussing and prioritizing the issues on the issues log, including the issues developed by the CSA Importers Roundtable. The CSA Importers Roundtable is a forum established by trade associations, including I.E.Canada, CVMA and the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, and open to all CSA importer participants or applicants, to consult with CBSA on issues affecting the CSA program. Issues included on the CSA Importers issues log will be merged into the subcommittee issues log. The group also discussed the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) benefits table from the WCO; alignment of the PIP and C-TPAT programs, and the CSA offshore proposal. Carol Osmond also presented the association’s PIP survey results. For an overview of these results, please see the June 2010 issue of I.E.Now (click here). Copies of the meeting materials are available upon request; please contact Amesika.

The next meeting of the Trusted Trader Subcommittee will take place via conference call on July 15, 2010 and will likely focus on PIP/C-TPAT harmonization/alignment, the CSA offshore proposal and integration of the current trusted trader programs. The next I.E.Canada working group meeting will be scheduled following that meeting.

If you would like more information about the C&L and TSC or any of our other committees, please feel free to contact Amesika Baëta, Committee Director, at abaeta@iecanada.com.

This article was written by I.E.Canada’s Carol Osmond, vice president, policy and Amesika Baëta, committee director.

Upcoming Committee Meetings & Association Events
The next C&L; TSC; and EX Committee monthly meetings are scheduled for September 2010.
The Customs Duty and International Trade Course – Vancouver, October 4-6, 2010
79th Annual Conference & Trade Show, October 18-20, 2010.

If you have any questions, please contact Amesika Baëta, Committee Director at abaeta@iecanada.com.

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