Today's Headlines | Tuesday, February 19, 2008
I.E.Canada News
April 21-23, 2008
Hilton Toronto Airport Centre, 5875 Airport Rd. Mississauga
Keynote speakers for I.E.Canada’s annual Emerging Issues Conference
will include:
•
Stephen Poloz, Senior VP Corporate Affairs and Chief Economist, Export
Development Canada
•
W. Ralph Basham, Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
•
The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health and Minister for FedNor
•
Grey Goatbe, Vice President, Admissibility Branch, Canada Border Services
Agency.
For details, see http://www.iecanada.com/events/2008/emerging_issues/invited_keynote_speakers.pdf
Don’t miss this important annual event – keep checking the
I.E.Canada website at http://www.iecanada.com/events.html#customs for updated
information.
The
Future of First-Cost & 9801: Impacts on U.S. Customs
Duties
The Québec Chapter of I.E.Canada is co-producing with the Canadian
Apparel Federation a breakfast meeting on February 27, 2008 in Montreal,
dealing with two recent proposals out of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
that 'threaten to drastically affect the way companies that import goods
into the U.S. and their foreign partners do business.'
In this important seminar/update, senior attorney Gerald B. Horn of the
international trade law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A., in
conjunction with Omnitrans Inc., will provide information on these two
recent proposals.
The first proposal would eliminate the use of a tariff
provision that permits the duty-free return to the U.S. of goods stored
at overseas distribution centers, many of which are located in Canada and
Mexico. The second proposal would revoke the First Sale Rule, an import
valuation methodology that offers substantial duty savings on goods sourced
from overseas. In both cases, the proposed actions would reverse nearly
20 years of CBP policy and practice and impose burdensome costs on importers,
retailers and consumers. ST&R is leading separate industry coalitions
that are fighting these proposals on administrative, legislative and judicial
grounds.
For more information about the event, and to register, see http://www.iecanada.com/events/QC_Feb_27_08_USCBP_Duty_.pdf.
We Need Your Input
D11-6-6:
Self-Adjustments to Declarations of Origin, Tariff Classification, Value
for Duty, and Diversion of Goods
CBSA is currently in the process
of amending Memorandum D11-6-6: Self-Adjustments to Declarations of Origin, Tariff
Classification, Value for Duty, and Diversion of Goods.
To obtain a revised version of the memorandum that CBSA plans to implement, please
visit I.E.Canada's members only section http://iecanada.com/members_only/customs_comm/2008/c&l_corres_08.html or
email Martin Fedor at mfedor@iecanada.com.
We would like to receive your comments/suggestions on the revised memorandum.
Please forward your comments to Martin Fedor at mfedor@iecanada.com quoting "CL-08-006" in
the subject line before February 25, 2008.
News of the Day
Carney
Backs Globalization
(London Free Press)
Canadian businesses and individuals have profited from globalization,
although some have also suffered painful adjustments, the Bank of Canada's
new governor says.
In his first official address since taking over the central bank, Mark
Carney conceded yesterday some of the criticism of globalization such
as increasing income disparity and falling wages in sectors such as manufacturing
has merit.
For instance, a 2007 OECD study showed the share of labour income as
part of overall gross national product has slipped in most countries,
including Canada. Meanwhile, for most countries, earnings at the top
of the distribution scale have risen relative to those at the bottom.
Carney defended the process by which the world's economy is rapidly becoming
integrated as not only inevitable, but primarily beneficial to businesses
and individuals.
And he said Canada can gain even more from globalization if provinces
eliminated inter-provincial barriers and helped encourage Canadians to
move where the jobs are. …
The prepared text of Mr. Carney’s speech is available at http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/speeches/2008/sp08-2.html
Prime
Minister Announces Changes in the Senior Ranks of the Public Service
(Prime Minister’s
Office)
15 February 2008 – Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced today the following changes in the senior ranks of the Public Service: …
… Stephen Rigby, currently Executive Vice-President of the Canada Border Services Agency, becomes Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, effective March 3, 2008.
Greta Bossenmaier, currently Vice-President, Innovation, Science and Technology Branch, Canada Border Services Agency, becomes Executive Vice-President of the Canada Border Services Agency, effective March 3, 2008. …
BC
Announces Plans to Increase Its Presence in India
(Canada-Asia News – BC
Ministry of Economic Development)
British Columbia announced plans to establish a presence in India to help BC companies do business there.
“The strong potential for co-operation in research and development, joint technology development and pharmaceutical research make India an exciting partner,” said BC Minister of Economic Development, Colin Hansen. “BC presence in the market will facilitate these kinds of collaborations and partnerships, and promote British Columbia as a globally competitive business location.”
The locations currently being examined include Bangalore and Mumbai.
Solid
Year for Wholesalers Despite Hefty Drop in December Sales
(The Canadian Press)
Wholesalers reported a sharp decline in sales in December, but Statistics Canada
reports they put in another solid performance in 2007, despite the drop.
Sales fell 2.9% in December to $42.7 billion, ending a string of three straight
monthly increases.
The agency says preliminary reports indicate wholesalers sold $520.7 billion
worth of goods in 2007, a 4.7% increase over the previous year.
Overall, five of seven wholesale sectors reported weaker sales in December, with
the automotive-products sector accounting for around half of the overall decline,
dropping 8.1%. Other wholesalers fared little better, falling 1.7% in December.
All seven wholesale sectors registered growth in 2007, led by the `other products'
and the personal- and household-goods sectors.
Summary data and a link to the report are on the Statistics Canada website at
http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/080219/d080219b.htm.
Data
Shows Struggling [U.S.] Manufacturers, Costly Imports and Gloomier Consumers
(New York Times – Michael M. Grynbaum)
A fresh batch of data released on Friday revealed an economy in distress,
as manufacturers struggled, import prices rose, and consumer confidence
continued to erode.
“The reports didn’t seem to confirm recession, but they confirmed
slow growth,” said Peter E. Kretzmer, senior economist at Bank
of America. “Given what was happening in the financial markets
this week, the vibes aren’t that good.”
Import costs grew last month at the highest annual rate since the Labor
Department began keeping records in 1983, primarily because of surging
oil costs.
The high price of gasoline is putting pressure on Americans to cut back
on nonessential purchases. Consumers responding to a national survey
this month said they felt worse about the economy than at any time since
the recession era of the early 1990s.
“This is just horrible,” Ian C. Shepherdson, the chief United
States economist for High Frequency Economics, wrote in a research note. “The
sustained volatility in the markets, the rise in energy and food prices
and, of course, the catastrophe in the housing market, is making consumers
extraordinarily miserable.”
A closely watched measure of consumer confidence, the Reuters/University
of Michigan survey, fell to 69.6 in February, the lowest reading since
February 1992. It stood at 78.4 in January.
Manufacturing activity in New York fell to its lowest level in five years,
and a separate report from the Federal Reserve showed that auto manufacturers
cut back on production in January. Output for the entire manufacturing
sector was flat for the month.
“Companies are responding remarkably rapidly to signs of weakness
by cutting their production and cutting back on hiring,” said Edward
E. Yardeni, an investment strategist. “If we’re not careful
we may push ourselves into a recession.”
The slowdown in growth is likely to result in further cuts to the Fed’s
benchmark interest rate, which central bankers have already lowered by
1.25 percentage points this year.
But the rise in import prices underscores concerns that inflation might
also be posing a problem, a development that could complicate the Fed’s
rate-cutting decisions. Lower interest rates stimulate growth by easing
the flow of money among banks, consumers and businesses. But they can
also lead to higher prices and a weaker dollar.
Import prices rose 1.7% in January and were 13.7% higher than the level
in January a year earlier. Fuel, food and beverage costs led the rise,
with the cost of imported petroleum up 67% from January 2007, according
to the Labor Department. The higher costs may partly explain the slowdown
in import sales, which are lagging even as sales of exports surge. The
trade deficit narrowed in 2007 for the first time in five years, the
Commerce Department said Thursday, a sign that Americans are less willing
to spend on costly imports.
Export prices rose 1.2% in January as American companies charged more
for food products, industrial supplies and agricultural products.
Friday did bring a sliver of good news for the economy. The Fed reported
that industrial production grew 0.1% last month, keeping pace with December.
Cold weather pushed up activity at electric and natural gas utilities,
which offset a sharp decline in output at auto manufacturers.
Capacity utilization, which measures the proportion of plants in use,
held steady in January at 81.5%.
“There was a surprising amount of resilience outside of the housing
and construction areas,” said Mr. Kretzmer of Bank of America. “Everywhere
else, including technology equipment, was still pretty good.”
But manufacturers have been hit hard. The Empire State Manufacturing
survey, a measure of business conditions in New York State, fell in February
to minus 11.7, its lowest reading since April 2003 and the first negative
reading in three years. A sharp drop in orders and payrolls led the decline,
according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
And analysts forecast more headwinds.
“An increasingly constrained consumer, deepening woes for the housing
sector and no desire to build inventories will all weigh on manufacturing
output, which we expect to remain weak for some time,” wrote Joshua
Shapiro, chief United States economist at MFR, a research firm.
COAC,
Others Suggest Changes to CBP’s “10+2” Cargo Data Proposal
(World Trade Interactive)
Although the deadline for comments on a proposal to require more data on imported cargo is still a month away, several interested parties have already written in to express their concerns and suggest improvements. The comments address U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s “10+2” cargo security filing proposed rule, which outlines 12 additional data elements that CBP wants importers and ocean carriers to submit before oceanborne cargo is brought into the U.S. CBP has stated that this proposal is designed to elicit better information on products shipped and entities involved in the supply chain in order to ensure that cargo security programs like the Container Security Initiative, the 24-Hour Rule and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism continue to operate effectively.
The Departmental Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Related Homeland Security Functions (COAC) said in comments submitted Feb. 13 that it supports CBP requiring additional data to ensure proper security screening of U.S.-bound cargo. However, the committee also made the following recommendations concerning implementation, penalties and other issues.
• CBP should use a “phased approach” for implementation and enforcement of the security filing requirements so as not to disrupt commerce or CBP’s information systems. The effective date for all filers should be 12 months after the final rule’s effective date.
• Liquidated damages related to security filing requirements should be removed from the proposal.
• Security filing data elements should not be “linked;” instead, filers should transmit all the information in an established format.
• A timely confirmation message should be sent by CBP indicating that the security filing was completed, filed and accepted.
• A clear description of each required data element, including type, length and definition, should be included in the regulations and any accompanying instructions.
• The security filing should be harmonized with the World Customs Organization’s Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade.
• The carrier messaging requirements should be clearly defined.
• CBP should conduct “a more realistic and collaborative cost, benefit and feasibility study” of the proposal.
• The regulations should initially be published as an interim final rule that provides details of the data requirements so that companies can develop or adapt their systems and software to properly transmit the security filing. ...
Click here for the complete article.
Concern
Grows Over U.S. Scan Plan
(Aircargo Asia-Pacific – Jack Handley)
China and the European Commission have each independently expressed misgivings about the global cost of compliance if the U.S. implements its 100 per cent container scanning law by 2012.
The EC says European companies
alone will have to bear a ‘massive burden’ if
the U.S. insists all inbound boxes be scanned at source for radiation and it
wants U.S. authorities to rethink the anti-terror law. The EC would prefer
the U.S. moved to mutual recognition of maritime security regimes.
According to an assessment made for the EC by the European Sea Ports Organisation,
the U.S. law will distort trade and might not even make any difference if terrorists
do decide to hide a radiation-based ‘dirty bomb’ in a container.
Apart from the costs, there also are concerns that scanning equipment is not
advanced enough to cope with the volumes of cargo affected or the precision
needed. Radiation detection equipment has to be operated manually because natural
radiation is given off by some non-hazardous cargo.
The U.S. measure also will apply to ports outside Europe and questions have
been raised about the affordability of screening systems in third world countries.
Defer
to Congress on "First Sale," COAC Tells Customs
(American Shipper – Eric Kulisch)
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s surprise notice to change a longstanding
valuation method for imports circumvented established lines of communication
with the trade community and overstepped the agency's authority, the Commercial
Operations Advisory Committee told the agency last week.
At its quarterly meeting held in Tucson, Ariz., the 20-member industry advisory panel asked the agency to withdraw its proposed reinterpretation of the "first sale" rule because it is a significant change in Customs business that needs to be addressed through legislation rather than the administrative rules process.
In January, CBP published a notice seeking to reverse the way import calculations are made to determine duties. Under the first sale doctrine, importers can pay duty on the price at which a supplier purchased the goods from the overseas factory rather than on the last sale to the importer, as long as documentation can prove the transaction is done at arms length and the goods were intended for export to the United States from the outset. The last sale raises the value of goods for duty purposes because it includes the middleman's profit.
The law firm of Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg has said the change could cause tariffs to rise 8% to 15% and cost companies millions of dollars. Trade professionals predict importers will have to reevaluate their cost structures for sourcing products from foreign countries. The repeal of the first-sale method would also impact non-resident importers who sell to U.S. buyers and multinationals that engage in transfer pricing among their global subsidiaries to reduce their tax burden.
The proposal attempts to overturn 20 years of appellate court decisions and customs practice that affirms the "first sale" rule. As recently as January 3 of this year, CBP conceded a case in the Court of International Trade involving the use of first sale for export by Target Stores on shoes purchased via a middleman, according to a bulletin from Serko Simon Gluck and Kane LLP.
COAC said CBP cannot change
the valuation statute, which directs cargo appraisal be done at the lower
alternative
value, through a simple rule interpretation. ….
Read the complete areticle at http://www.americanshipper.com/SNW_story.asp?news=85371.
France
Says 20 European Union Nations Reject Proposals on Global Trade
(The
Canadian Press)
France says 20 European countries have rejected the latest World Trade Organization proposals for a global trade deal, saying they would be too damaging to European farming.
“We prefer there is no agreement rather than a bad agreement,'' French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier said Monday after 20 of the EU's 27 farm ministers met in Brussels to discuss the WTO's compromise proposals put forward 10 days ago.
The EU ministers' reactions highlight the divide between the WTO's rich and poor nations, which have failed in recent months to resolve any of their biggest differences.
European
Exports Decline Most in More Than Two Years
(Bloomberg – Fergal O'Brien)
February 15, 2008 – European exports fell the most in more than two years
in December as slowing global growth and the euro's appreciation curbed orders
for products from the region.
Exports declined 2.5% from November, the biggest drop since October 2005, the
European Union's statistics office in Luxembourg said today, pushing the euro
area into its first trade deficit in 16 months.
“The toxic combination of a strong euro and slowing domestic demand in
key euro-zone markets is starting to increasingly weigh down on exporters,''
said Howard Archer,
chief European economist at Global Insight in London. “This adds to the
rising concerns for euro-zone growth prospects.''
Europe's overseas sales may cool this year as the U.S. economy teeters close
to a recession, damping demand in the euro area's second-biggest market. The
euro's 11% appreciation against the dollar and sterling in the last 12 months
also is making euro-area products less competitive.
The seasonally adjusted trade deficit of 2.1 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in
December compared with a surplus of 2 billion euros in November. While exports
declined in the month, imports rose 0.7%. The region last reported a trade gap
in August 2006, when the shortfall was 3.2 billion euros.
The euro rose 0.2% to $1.4669 against the dollar today and gained 0.6% to 74.80
pence on the British pound.
Click here for
the complete article.
[China]
Trade Surplus Falls to Lowest Since May
(China Daily – Diao Ying)
The country's trade surplus last month continued its downward trend, with
efforts to curb exports paying off and imports rising, authorities said on
Friday.
Figures from customs authorities showed the trade surplus last month was $19.49
billion, below December's $22.7 billion and the record high of $27.1 billion
set in October last year. "For the first time since May, the trade surplus
is under $20 billion," customs said on its website.
Exports rose 26.7 percent from a year earlier to $109.66 billion, while imports
rose 27.6 percent to $90.17 billion, the government agency said. Import growth
outpaced exports for the fourth month in a row.
Experts said the surplus dropped due to policies put in place last year to
curb exports. The authorities had introduced a raft of policies since early
last year, including VAT cuts, to discourage exports of energy-intensive, polluting
products.
"China's policies to encourage imports and cut the trade surplus are also
helping a lot," Zhang Xinfa, an economist with Beijing-based China Galaxy
Securities, said.
As a result of the tightening policy, the processing trade last month was $81.85
billion, up 15.8% year on year. But the growth rate slowed by 9.9 points
compared with the same period last year.
The appreciation of the yuan also played a role in curbing exports.
"Many exporters are facing difficulties due to rising costs and the yuan's
appreciation, and export momentum will ease in the coming months," Li Yushi,
a researcher on trade with the Ministry of Commerce, said.
According to Li Peng, spokesman for Asia Footwear Association, more than 1,000
shoe factories in Guangdong province closed down last year. The firms went
bankrupt due to high costs driven by the removal of an export tax refund, a
stronger yuan, rising raw material prices and labor costs, Li said.
The stronger yuan also makes imports cheaper, which is one reason behind the
strength seen in Friday's data, Zhang said.
The European Union remained as China's largest trade partner last month, with
bilateral trade of $34.28 billion, up 30.1% year on year.
The EU was followed by the United States. Trade between China and the U.S.
last month increased by 12.2% year on year to $26.23 billion, despite
looming recession in the U.S. economy.
China's trade surplus last year stood at $262.2 billion, with total trade volume
hitting a new high of $2.17 trillion, up 23.5% from a year earlier.
Indian
Port Throughput Up 12%
(Cargonews Asia)
Throughput at major ports in India grew 12% in the April-to-January period, according to figures released by the Indian Ports Association.
The country’s 12 major ports, six each on the west and east coasts, handled 424 million metric tonnes of cargo during the period, up from 379 million metric tonnes in the same period a year earlier.
Kandla emerged as the largest cargo hub with throughput of 53.38 million metric tonnes.
Total volume at the Port of Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s busiest container hub, increased to 45.32 million metric tonnes, up 24% from 36.56 million metric tonnes.
Container traffic at Nehru surged to a record 3.33 million TEUs, up 24% from a year ago, while volume in January totalled 357,976 TEUs. Based on current growth trends, traffic is expected to reach four million TEUs in fiscal 2007-08, from 3.3 million in 2006-07, against the target of 3.5 million TEUs set by the Ministry of Shipping.
In fiscal 2006-07, major ports handled 5.44 million TEUs, compared with 4.6 million TEUs the previous year.
CFIA-AIRS
Updates February 19, 2008
(Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
a) Chapter 07 was published
to change the release recommendation to "Refuse
entry" for the following HS code for all origins.
07.08.90.3031 - Jequirity Bean (fresh or chilled)
This created requirement version changes for the following HS codes.
07.02.00 - Tomatoes, fresh or chilled
07.03.20.3004 - Garlic - processed (peeled, cooked, sliced, pickled, baseplate
and skin removed) (fresh or chilled)
07.04.10.3009 - Broccoli - headed (fresh or chilled)
07.04.90.3010 - Broccoli - other than headed (fresh or chilled)
07.04.90.3012 - Rapini (fresh or chilled)
07.04.90.3013 - Other - including Kohlrabi and similar edible brassicas (fresh
or chilled)
07.04.90.3014 - Arugula (fresh or chilled)
07.04.90.3015 - Bok choy or other Asian cabbage (fresh or chilled)
07.04.90.3017 - Brassica oleracea hybrids (broccolini, broccoflower etc.)
(fresh or chilled)
07.05.19.3025 - Asian lettuce (fresh or chilled)
07.05.19.3038 - Other: Romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce,
butter lettuce or baby leaf lettuce (fresh or chilled)
07.05.29 - Chicory: Other
07.07.00.3002 - Gherkins (fresh or chilled)
07.08.10 - Peas (Pisum sativum)
07.08.20 - Beans (Vigna spp., Phaseolus spp.)
07.08.90.3032 - Fababean (fresh or chilled)
07.08.90.3033 - Other legumious vegetables (fresh or chilled)
07.09.20 - Asparagus
07.09.30 - Aubergines
07.09.60 - Fruits of the genus Capsicum or of the genus Pimenta
07.09.90 - Other
07.11.00 - Vegetables provisionally preserved (for example, by sulphur dioxide
gas, in brine, in sulphur water or in other preservative solutions), but
unsuitable in that state for immediate consumption
07.12.00 - Dried vegetables, whole, cut, sliced, broken or in powder, but
not further prepared
07.13.00 - Dried leguminous vegetables, shelled, whether or not skinned or
split
07.14.90.0006.05 - Taro (root), dried, sliced or processed, without soil
b) Chapter 44 was published to change the release recommendations to "Approved" for
California and Oregon for the following HS Codes.
44.01.22.0122.04 - Willow - wood chips, wood particles, nuggets (untreated)
44.03.99.0151.06 - Willow - bark and bark mulch (untreated)
44.03.99.0152.06 - Willow - bark and bark mulch - composted
44.06.10.0140.08 - Oak - railway or tramway sleepers - untreated
44.06.10.0140.09 - Chinquapin - railway or tramway sleepers - untreated
44.06.10.0140.10 - Tanbark oak - railway or tramway sleepers - untreat
44.06.10.0140.16 - Maple - railway or tramway sleeprs - untreated
44.06.10.0140.17 - Arbutus - railway or tramway sleepers - untreated
44.06.10.0140.18 - Buckthorn - railway or tramway sleepers - untreated
44.06.10.0140.19 - Horsechestnut - railway or tramway sleepers - untreated
44.06.90.0139.08 - Oak - railway or tramway sleepers - impregnated
44.06.90.0139.09 - Chinquapin - railway or tramway sleepers - impregnated
44.06.90.0139.10 - Tanbark oak - railway or tramway sleepers - impregnated
44.06.90.0139.16 - Maple - railway or tramway sleepers - impregnated
44.06.90.0139.17 - Arbutus - railway or tramway sleepers - impregnated
44.06.90.0139.18 - Buckthorn - railway or tramway sleepers - impregnated
44.06.90.0139.19 - Horsechestnut - railway or tramway sleepers - impregnated
44.06.90.0141.07 - Oak - railway or tramway sleepers - heat treated
44.06.90.0141.08 - Chinquapin - railway or tramway sleepers - heat treated
44.06.90.0141.09 - Tanbark oak - railway or tramway sleepers - heat treated
44.06.90.0141.16 - Maple - railway or tramway sleepers - heat treated
44.06.90.0141.17 - Arbutus - railway or tramway sleepers - heat treated
44.06.90.0141.18 - Buckthorn - railway or tramway sleepers - heat treated
44.06.90.0141.19 - Horsechestnut - railway or tramway sleepers - heat treated
This created requirement version changes for the following HS codes :
44.06.10.0140.00 - Railway or tramway sleepers, forestry products (not manufactured)
- untreated
44.06.90.0139.00 - Railway or tramway sleepers, forestry products (not manufactured)
- impregnated with a preservative
44.06.90.0141.00 - Railway or tramway sleepers, forestry products (not manufactured)
- heat treated
Please check your version numbers before submitting through EDI.
If you have any questions, please contact your Import Service Center.
Vietnam
May Raise Auto Import Duties to Decrease Traffic Jams
(Industry Week – Agence France-Presse)
Sales of imported cars rose 421% last year
As traffic is choking up the streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the government
is considering raising import taxes on both imported cars and spare parts,
the state-run Vietnam News Agency reported. Worsening traffic congestion is
being fuelled by surging sales of both imported and locally-assembled cars.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked government ministries to draw up suitable
tax policies aimed at reducing traffic jams, the report said, with proposals
ranging as high as a 70% import duty rate. …
Read the complete article at http://www.industryweek.com/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=15822.
Customs
The
Government of Canada Proposes Amendments to the Customs Act to Strengthen
Border Security
(Canada Border Services Agency)
February 15, 2008 – The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public
Safety, today took another step to enhance Canada's border security and prosperity
by introducing amendments to the Customs Act in the House of Commons.
"Stopping illegal activity and protecting Canadians from threats to their
health, safety and security is a key priority for this Government," said
Minister Day. "These changes give Canada Border Services Agency officers
the information, tools and flexibility they need to detect threats and tackle
crime, while ensuring
that legitimate trade and travellers can cross the border efficiently."
The amendments will make it mandatory for all businesses involved in the import
trade chain to provide the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) with electronic
data on their shipments before the goods reach Canada. With this advance information,
the CBSA will be able to make better decisions about the admissibility of the
goods, including whether the goods pose a risk to Canadians.
Other amendments will enable the CBSA to fully implement "customs controlled
areas," which will provide border services officers with the flexibility
to examine goods and question and search people anywhere within those areas,
as opposed to only at exit points as in the current Act.
"Enhancing border security is a key priority for our Government," said
Minister Day. "Our Government has made significant investments in support
of a smart, secure and trade-efficient border. For example, it has invested
$430 million to upgrade border infrastructure and security. It is arming 4,800
CBSA officers and hiring 400 new officers to eliminate situations where they
have to work alone. Today's announcement further demonstrates our Government’s
commitment to strengthen the integrity of our border."
The proposed amendments are available at http://www.parl.gc.ca.
Industry Events
Canadian
ICT Partnering Mission to Hong Kong
International ICT Expo @ Hong Kong Electronics
Fair, April 13-17, 2008
The Government of Canada, in partnership with the Hong Kong Trade Development
Council (HKTDC), and with support from Governments of Alberta and Ontario,
Manitoba Trade and Investment, Hong Kong–Canada Business Association,
and Monte Jade Science & Technology Association, invites ICT companies
to participate in the ICT Partnering Mission to the International ICT Expo:
http://ictexpo.com , April 13-17, 2008 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition
Centre. Companies will have the opportunity to exhibit in the Canadian Pavilion,
and/or join the programme of our Information and Communications Technologies
(ICT) Partnering mission to Hong Kong.
ICT Expo is one of Asia's premier platforms for ICT companies from around the
world to showcase their latest technologies, meet strategic partners and discover
new markets for leading edge ICT products. Canadian Trade Commissioner Services
will be available to assist you in formulating your China Business Strategy
and expanding your business to the Hong Kong / China ICT markets.
For registration details and reservation form, please click on the following
link: http://202.64.102.92/hktdc/download.php?fid=_php4vaIjb. For further information,
please contact Ms. Constance Leung by telephone at 416-366-3594, by fax at
416-366-1569, or by email at constance.h.leung@tdc.org.hk.
Would you
like to advertise in or sponsor I.E.Today?
Please contact Linda Bott at: lbott@iecanada.com or
by calling (416) 595-5333, ext. 28 for further
details.
If
you do not wish to continue receiving I.E.Today, please contact Martin
Fedor at: mfedor@iecanada.com.
Type in Unsubscribe in the Subject line.
