Clearit.ca's Blog on Customs Brokerage and News Updates

Taking no chances with what appears to be increasingly likely a US federal government shutdown starting Oct. 1, the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America (NCBFAA) is leading an effort among 40 other trade associations, including several Canadian partners, the Canadian Association of Importers and Exporters (I.E. Canada), Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association (CIFFA), and Canadian Society of Customs Brok...

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has concluded a re‑investigation of the normal values and export prices respecting certain copper pipe fittings from the United States, South Korea, and China, along with amounts of subsidy of copper pipe fittings from China, in accordance with the Special Import Measures Act(SIMA). The period of investigation and the profitability analysis period (PAP) for the re-investigation was from Feb. 1, ...

The Canada Border Services Agency has issued a Customs Notice that provides an update on the CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) system for Customs Bonded Warehouse (CBW) licensees, including operators, importers, and brokers. The Notice talks about CARM program enhancements and requirements, along with expectations for CBWs. Highlights include: CBWs will use the CARM platform for enrolment and future accounting, as well as t...

The softwood lumber dispute between Canada and the US is a long-running point of contention that has been going on for decades, and continues to this day. If you need a primer on what's been going on so far, here is a rundown of some of the key events in the dispute. If you need some more background on the story, you can read Clearit's latest update here. 1982: The US lumber industry files a complaint alleging that Canadian lumber producer...

Canada has filed notices of intent to commence judicial review of US duties on Canadian softwood lumber following the US’s fourth administrative review on softwood lumber from Canada. This is the latest development in a long-running trade dispute between the two nations that has been going on for decades. In a statement, the Honourable Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, said that Canada i...

The duties and taxes that you will have to pay when importing a vehicle into Canada from another country will depend on a few factors, such as the value of the vehicle and where it was manufactured. Import Duty: If the vehicle was manufactured in the United States or Mexico, you will not have to pay any import duty, thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). If the vehicle was manufactured outside of the US or Mexico then you ...

The Canada Border Services Agency Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM) is a multi-phase project to modernize the collection of duties and taxes for commercial goods imported into Canada by providing Canadian businesses an online self-service tool and simplified importing processes. With CARM, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is updating and upgrading its 35-year-old legacy systems through a series of releases in a phased appr...

Health Canada is seeking comments on a proposal to introduce new regulatory requirements for certain health hazards in consumer chemical products under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA). The CCPSA already helps protect Canadians from certain human health hazards of concern (HHHOCs) in consumer chemical products including acute toxicity, corrosivity (chemical burns, eye damage), flammability, pressurized containers that may e...

Green logistics is good for the environment, which is reason enough to do it. But adopting green logistics practices can also make your business more efficient and cut costs. Customers are paying attention, too. According to a recent IBM study, 88% of buyers said they would be more loyal to businesses that prioritized sustainability. Source: Optimoroute.com Logistics technology company Bringg has shared seven that you can adopt gree...

If the United Parcel Service (UPS) strike goes ahead on Aug. 1, U.S. supply chains will see significant disruptions. But even though these events are taking place south of the border, it’s a good cautionary tale for Canadian shippers as well to be prepared in the event of such disruptions. How? By diversifying your carrier mix to mitigate exposure to single-carrier disruptions and capacity restraints. For example, the most vulnerable UPS...