GHY Tradelines

An updated list of recently published government memorandums, notices, regulations and decisions for the week ending July 06, 2012 is now available on our website here.
 

(CBSA)

The purpose of this bulletin is to inform you of the upcoming AMPS changes that will take effect in the MPD and ICS on July 4th, 2012. The changes are:

1. Expiration of nine Customs Self Assessment (CSA) contraventions: C235, C237, C238, C241, C242, C256, C257, C258 and C259.

2. Amendment to the wording of the following contraventions: C008, C037, C194, C246 and C360.

3. Addition of a new document type - “Case” - to the document type drop-down list.

In addition to the above, the guidelines, found on the MPD, for the contraventions C005, C008, C037, C170, C244, C246, C315, C317, C346, C368, and C369, have been revised to increase clarity in order to avoid any misinterpretation by the trade community or CBSA officers whenever these contraventions are applied. The Generic Principles provided on the first page of the MPD have also been updated to further elaborate how AMPS penalties are applied.

Effective July 4th, 2012, the following system related problems will be resolved.

1. Point in Time
Upon viewing or printing a previously issued Notice of Penalty Assessment (NPA), the screen will now display the same penalty parameters and penalty amounts, work location (address and phone number) and references to D-Memos and legislation as were applicable at the time the original PA was issued rather than the current parameters and penalty amounts.

Upon searching for a Contravention code, the system has been corrected to display the appropriate penalty amount and parameter descriptions based on the date entered on the Search Contravention by Code screen.

2. AMPS not assigning correct level in Review – Amend function
The problem has been resolved for situations where a Correction Review is processed to amend penalty level for contraventions subject to the 30-day non-escalation rule. The system has been corrected to meet the 30 day non-escalation requirement in the event where a Review is processed to amend the penalty level.

3. Penalty Assessment (PA) & Review not found in Client History Search in some cases 
The system has been corrected to now display the PA and its associated review within the Client Contravention History in cases where an override was done at the time of the penalty assessment.

Enquiries and comments about this bulletin should be directed to:
Horizontal Border Programs Unit
Canada Border Services Agency
E-mail: AMPS_Enquiries-RSAP_Questions@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
Ottawa, ON K1A 0L8
Canada
 

(The Chronicle Herald)

The Conference Board says Canada is missing out on direct investment from cash-rich China because its rules on foreign takeovers are too confusing.

The Ottawa-based think-tank is a supporter of Chinese participation in Canada’s natural resources and oil sectors, saying such investments will create jobs and economic growth. But it says the Investment Canada Act “net benefit” rule is so opaque that it’s impossible to say how many investors look elsewhere because they fear rejection. Read more here.
 

(The National Post – Mark Kennedy)

The American ambassador to Canada has issued a reassuring statement about the state of relations between the two countries – insisting that while there have been “bumps in the road” and “strains,” the relationship has never been better.

David Jacobson’s written message was issued this week to commemorate the national birthdays of both countries. Notably, it came just days after a controversial article by two Canadians who declared the bilateral relationship has sunk to its worst level in decades.

The document, entitled “How Obama Lost Canada” appears in the online edition of Foreign Affairs and makes a detailed case for how U.S. President Barack Obama is “botching relations with the United States’ biggest trade partner.” Read more here.
 

(Wall Street Journal)

The Obama administration Thursday intensified its trade dispute with China by initiating a World Trade Organization complaint over Beijing’s import duties on U.S. cars.

President Barack Obama, speaking Thursday to a small crowd in this manufacturing town at the start of a two-day bus tour, said his action was intended “to hold China accountable for unfair trade practices that harm American auto makers.” Both presidential campaigns this year have made trade with China an issue on the stump, especially in manufacturing hubs in the Midwest. [...]

The U.S.’s latest move is in response to duties China imposed in December on U.S.-produced cars and SUVs with an engine capacity of at least 2.5 liters, which covers most vehicles midsize and larger. China has accused U.S. auto makers of dumping, or selling cars in China at below fair value, and is levying import tariffs of as much as 21.5%. It also has imposed duties of as much as 12.9% in retaliation for alleged unfair government subsidies. The duties could add thousands of dollars to the price of a car. Read more here.
 

(The Huffington Post)

Canada and Japan are taking initial step toward free trade negotiations with the first formal meeting of senior officials since the March declaration the two countries intended to seek closer economic relations.

Officials of the Joint Economic Committee began two days of discussions in Ottawa on Wednesday in what is seen as a table-setting exercise to broader discussions. The agenda calls the discussions to focus on reconstruction efforts following last spring’s earthquake and tsunami, bilateral co-operation in energy, natural resources, as well as co-operation in science and technology.

Although Japan is the world’s third largest economy, with a gross domestic product of almost $6 trillion, the Canada-Japan free trade initiative has mostly flown under the radar since the announcement this spring. More top of the news has been Canada’s bid to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the European Union trade talks and even negotiations with the India. Read more here.
 

(Bridges Weekly)

The imposition of trade-restrictive measures by WTO members has continued virtually unabated over the last seven months, according to a new report issued last week by WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy, prompting concern that governments are continuing to look toward protectionist measures as a means of strengthening domestic economies.

In his biennial report to the WTO’s Trade Policy Review Body, Lamy found that 182 trade-restrictive measures – affecting 0.9% of global imports – have been implemented by WTO members and observers from mid-October 2011 to mid-May 2012, a number consistent with the number of new protectionist measures in the two previous roughly six-month intervals. Lamy called the continuing accumulation of trade restrictions “a matter of concern,” urging governments to resist new protectionist measures.

“Governments need to redouble their efforts to resist protectionist pressures and take active steps to keep markets open and advance trade liberalization,” wrote Lamy. Read more here.