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

It’s no news that the Trump administration isn’t crazy in love with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in fact it’s well-known that one of the first areas of interest for the administration is renegotiating the rules of origin found in the agreement. What are the rules of origin you ask? It’s essentially a technical rule found in the document that states that goods that originate from NAFTA countries are entitled to receive ...

Canada received a nice Valentine’s Day gift as Euro parliament members voted in favor of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) by a 408 to 254 vote. This now means that parts of the agreement that links Canada to the European Union, such as tariff reduction, will come into force eight years after the initial negotiations had started. The vote passed relatively well, considering the chaotic crowd of protesters gathered outside...

Gypsum boards – or drywall – coming in from the United States is now more expensive to buy in Canada. Sheets that once cost $8 are now being sold at approximately $13 a sheet. For contractors and weekend renovators, that amounts to having to pay double the cost for their drywall needs. The price surge is a result of the Canadian trade tribunal’s decision to back tariffs on U.S. drywall. The whole drywall saga started after a dumping comp...

As President Trump’s new administration has been openly sharing its intention on piling on new tariffs in order to protect American jobs and discourage importation, the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau up in Ottawa has quietly put in place action to counter the protectionist maneuvers of its southern neighbors. Ottawa will be moving forward with eliminating $48M in tariffs related to the food manufacturing industry. Trudeau’s move, to ...

During a meeting held on Monday January 23rd in Calgary, Prime Minister Trudeau in town for a cabinet retreat, met with Stephen Schwarzman, chair of President Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum. M. Schwarzman is also the chief executive of the U.S. investment firm Blackstone Group and was appointed to head Trump's forum last December. The most recent move by President Trump to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), has th...

Surge pricing could soon be a reality in the trucking industry; ride-hailing company Uber just launched a new service called Uber Freight and although little has been revealed on what or how the Uber branch will work, it seems like we can expect not only the arrival of surge pricing but also the introduction to autonomous trucks. Last August Uber acquired a startup called Otto who was working on bringing the first self-driving trucks to roads....

It's the trade issue that keeps on giving: softwood lumber. The U.S. Lumber Coalition has filed petitions with the U.S. International Trade Administration against Canada for Anti-dumping (AD) and Countervailing (CV) relief on importation of various lumber products from Canada. On the government's side, Washington D.C. says it will be launching an investigation to determine whether softwood lumber products were dumped into the American market and ...

When returning or immigrating to Canada, it’s normal that you may have some personal effects you may want to bring along: clothing, furniture, appliances, books and much more. In order to avoid any complications with the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), there are a few steps to take in consideration. First off, you should determine the status for your return – or arrival – to Canada: are you a Settler or Former Resident? Settle...

Once the world’s seventh-largest shipping company, Hanjin Shipping is on the fence and risks falling off the map – quite literally. Despite multiple efforts deployed in a grandiose fashion while under court receivership, the international shipper isn’t seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Documents from the Seoul Central District Court, the body in charge of the court receivership, indicates that according to accounting firm Samil ...

Canada is a signatory partner in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, just last winter, International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland signed the dotted line during a ceremony held in Auckland, New Zealand, adding Canada’s name to a long list of international partners. But with the arrival of president-elect Trump in the Commander-in-chief’s chair, things don’t seem too clear in regards to the agreement’s future. USA and Japan Leading TPP Nego...