Global Affairs Canada have issued notices to importers of a new Aluminum Import Monitoring and a revision to the Steel Import Monitoring which are effective September 1, 2019. The purpose of these programs is to enable Global Affairs Canada to monitor imports of certain aluminum and steel products and facilitate the collection of import data. In addition, importers may be required, upon request, to provide to Global Affairs Canada documents and records for the purpose of identifying any errors in import data and determining the source of any inconsistencies in a targeted manner.
Notices to Importers
New – General Import Permit No. 83 – Aluminum Products
The import documentation for each shipment of aluminum products must state that it is being imported under the authority of General Import Permit (GIP) No. 83. This requirement applies to all aluminum products in item 83 of the Import Control List: Alloyed and not alloyed unwrought aluminum products, and wrought aluminum products limited to bars, rods, profiles, wires, plates, sheets, strips, foils, tubes and pipes, tube and pipe fittings and other articles of castings and forgings. The specific Harmonized System codes of the goods covered by this GIP are set out in the Commodity Codes Handbook.
Importers are required to ensure that quantity (in kilograms), value (in Canadian dollars and excluding freight costs), product classification, country of origin, U.S. state of export (if applicable), supplier name and address and importer name are given correctly, if necessary by amending the import documentation.
Revised – Steel General Import Permits No. 80 and 81 – Carbon and Specialty Steel Products
The import documentation for each shipment of carbon and specialty steel products must state that it is being imported under the authority of GIP No. 80 or 81. This requirement applies to all steel products with Harmonized System headings 7206-7302, 7304-7306, 7308, 7312-13 and 7317.
Carbon steel products include semi-finished products (ingots, blooms, billets, slabs and sheet bars), plate, sheets and strip, wire rods, wire and wire products, railway-type products, bars, structural shapes and units, pipes and tubes made of carbon steel. These items are covered by Harmonized System (HS) headings 7206-7229.
Specialty steel products include stainless steel flat-rolled products (sheet, strip and plate), stainless steel bar, stainless steel pipe and tube, stainless steel wire and wire products, alloy tool steel, mold steel and high-speed steel. These items are covered by HS headings 7301-7302, 7304-7306, 7308, 7312-7313 and 7317.
Importers are required to ensure that quantity (in kilograms), value (in Canadian dollars and excluding freight costs), product classification, country of origin, U.S. state of export (if applicable), supplier name and address and importer name are given correctly, if necessary by amending the import documentation.
Potential Penalties under AMPS
Failure to cite the required GIP or not complying with the terms and conditions of the Permit may lead to the levying of penalties by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) under the Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS), which authorizes the CBSA to assess monetary penalties for non-compliance with customs legislative, regulatory and program requirements. Importers may also face prosecution under the Export and Import Permits Act for contravening a provision of the Act or its regulations (section 19). Compliance is monitored by the CBSA and Global Affairs Canada.
Terms and Conditions
A resident of Canada who imports goods under these Permits must retain, for a period of six years after the year in which the import is made, documents and records containing the following information:
- the name and the address of the importer or consignee;
- proof of Canadian residency;
- the date of entry of the goods into Canada;
- the quantity, expressed in kilograms, of the goods;
- the country from which the goods are imported;
- the country of origin of the goods;
- the shipping document with freight and other transportation costs indicated separately;
- the tariff classification of the goods indicated in the List of Tariff Provisions set out in the schedule to the Customs Tariff;
- the import value in Canadian dollars; and
- a detailed description of the goods.
For more information, please call Brian Rowe, Director – Customs Compliance & Regulatory Affairs at (905) 882-4880, ext. 213.
