GHY Tradelines

(Hardwood Floors)

Anderson Hardwood Floors (Clinton, S.C.) has stopped shipping wood flooring produced using prison labor into Canada, according to a memorandum from Melmart Distributors Inc. addressed to dealers of Anderson’s Appalachian, Virginia Vintage, Biltmore and eponymous brands.

Anderson has not indicated which flooring lines are affected by the stoppage; however, Melmart wrote in its memorandum that the following lines are not manufactured using prison labor and are, therefore, still available in Canada: Brevard; Bryson/Smoky Mountain; Casitablanca; Coastal Range; Jack’s Creek/Eagleton; Southern Vista; Urban Pioneer.

Under Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) Memorandum D9-1-6, “Goods Manufactured or Produced Wholly or in Part by Prison Labour,” the importation of goods manufactured or produced wholly or in part by prison labor is prohibited. Read more here.
 

(Bloomberg)

A boom in traffic at Canadian National Railways Co. (CNR) and Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. (CP), the country’s two largest rail companies, may mean Canada’s recovery will be buoyant even after economists and the Bank of Canada pared their outlook for growth this year.

Canadian freight volumes accelerated in the fourth quarter to their fastest pace in 2011 on a year-over-year basis, while commodity carloads were up 6.8 percent in December from November on a seasonally adjusted basis, according to data from the Association of American Railroads. Data from Statistics Canada showing stronger volumes in the August-October period also suggest future economic growth. Read more here.
 

(Chris Zappone – Sydney Morning Herald)

At the outset of the global financial crisis, the world’s leaders pledged to resist calls to shield their local economies in order to prevent a trade war that could further damage global growth.

Four years on, with China slowing, Europe heading into recession and a political environment soured by successive financial crises, the question arises: how long will policymakers be able to resist those calls for more protectionism?

“Free trade is going to be under pressure,” said Lowy Institute international economy program director Mark Thirlwell. “Since 2007-08 the case for moving to greater trade liberalisation has got tougher and the demands for protection have increased.” Read more here.
 

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a comprehensive free trade agreement under negotiation to liberalize trade in the Asia-Pacific region. Nine countries are currently participating in the negotiations: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States. At last November’s APEC summit in Hawaii, Canada, Mexico and Japan also announced their intentions to begin consultations to join the TPP. Including the participation of all countries potentially involved in this new trade pact, the TPP would represent a market of more than 775 million people and a combined GDP of $25 trillion — a market significantly larger than the European Union (i.e., 493 million people with a GDP of $16 trillion).

With this in mind, at the beginning of the year, the Canadian Government embarked on a public consultation process to allow all interested stakeholders an early opportunity to provide comments, input and advice on possible free trade negotiations with TPP countries. Read more here.
 

(Lisa Vaas – Naked Security)

The American Civil Liberties Union has brought a suit against the US government over its seizure of the laptop of a computer security consultant – a seizure carried out at a Chicago airport about a year ago without a search warrant or any charges of crimes.

According to a report in Sunday’s Boston Globe, the consultant – a former MIT researcher, David House – was returning from rest and relaxation in Mexico when federal agents seized his laptop.

According to the Globe, the government wanted to know more about House’s connections to Bradley Manning, the US Army private accused of leaking classified information to WikiLeaks.

The seizure comes as no surprise. As Globe writer Katie Johnston notes, United States ports of entry are dubbed “Constitution-free zones” by civil liberties advocates. Read more here.
 

(Sneh Duggal – Embassy)

Trade minister working behind the scenes to sell member states on accepting Canada

Canada’s acceptance into the Trans-Pacific Partnership is not guaranteed but the government will likely have a better sense of whether it will be able to join the trade club in March, say trade analysts and observers.

That’s when the nine current TPP member countries meet in Australia for the next round of free-trade talks.

Last November, after years of downplaying Canada’s interest in the agreement, Prime Minister Stephen Harper changed course and surprised many with his sudden announcement that Canada was interested in joining the TPP. Now the government is on a mission to gain entry into the TPP.

“I think it’s unlikely that Canada will be at the March negotiations, but I think it’s reasonable for Canada to expect some feedback after that meeting on Canada’s status with the TPP,” said Yuen Pau Woo, president of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Japan and Mexico have also expressed interest in joining the talks. Read more here.
 

(Legal Times)

It was a banner year for intellectual property enforcement, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seizing nearly 25,000 shipments of infringing goods from abroad in fiscal year 2011.

The number one source country for knockoff products continues to be mainland China, which accounted for 62 percent or $124.7 million of the total domestic value of seizures. Hong Kong was second, with 18 percent, followed by India, with 3 percent.

For the first time since 2005, copycat footwear did not top the list of seized goods. Instead, shipments of consumer electronics — especially cell phones — were the most valuable products seized, with about $39 million worth of fake electronics halted at the border. Also on the top 10 list of seized products: pharmaceuticals, optical media, clothes and perfume. Read more here.
 

(World Trade Interactive)

On behalf of the High Level Working Group on Jobs and Growth established by the U.S. and the European Union at their November 2011 summit, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is inviting public comments by Feb. 3 on the following issues.

• conventional barriers to trade in goods, such as tariffs and tariff-rate quotas
• reduction, elimination or prevention of barriers to trade in goods, services and investment
• opportunities for enhancing the compatibility of regulations and standards
• reduction, elimination or prevention of unnecessary “behind the border” non-tariff barriers to
trade in all categories
• enhanced cooperation for the development of rules and principles on global issues of common concern and for the achievement of shared economic goals relating to third countries

For each option or proposal that is suggested, submissions should seek to assess the short- and medium-term impact on economic growth, job creation and competitiveness; feasibility; and implications for, and consistency with, bilateral and multilateral trade obligations. Read more here.