The Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA or USMCA) will introduce new and complex requirements for the automotive industry.  Not only will vehicle producers face increased Regional Value Content requirements starting July 1, 2020, but they will be required to meet the following requirements:

  1. minimum purchase requirements for North American steel and aluminum;
  2. labour value content requirements

In March, there was a good deal of consternation in the general press trying to understand news that President Trump had overruled the actions of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) to impose additional sanctions on North Korea. Beside the oddity of a President overruling actions by a part of the Executive branch after

Canada

On November 10, 2017, Canada’s Department of Finance made an announcement of a one month consultation process concerning the imposition of excise taxes/duties and goods and services tax (“GST”) and harmonized sales tax (“HST”) on cannabis products. Canadian stakeholders, businesses and the public have until December 7, 2017 to submit feedback as part of

Originally published by the Journal of Commerce – November 2016

Fans of ESPN’s College Game Day© will recognize this tag line from the reaction of Lee Corso when he disagrees with others when panelists predict winners of selected college football games. If you prefer a different sports metaphor, there is Aaron Rodger’s 2014 now famous

Originally Published by the Journal of Commerce in August 2016

In the face of its recent reorganization and enhanced computer system, it was really only a matter of time before the trade community started to see Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) better organize its enforcement efforts, and now the first tangible step has been publicly

On July 1, 2016, the Safety of Life at Sea (“SOLAS”) requirement for shippers to provide steamship lines with the verified gross mass (“VGM”) of each shipment takes effect internationally.

While under development at the International Maritime Organization for years, these requirements caught many in the U.S. by surprise last summer when the deadline was

Greeting words around 2016 year type in gold on a black background
Greeting words around 2016 year

I do not know for certain what will happen in 2016 in terms of Canadian trade issues.  However, I can make a few educated predictions:

1. Canada will continue its economic sanctions against Russia and may add new designated persons in 2016.  The Trudeau Government may

Originally published by the Journal of Commerce in April 2015

One thing is for sure if you have been involved with international trade in recent times. Things are getting ever more complicated and the risk management and compliance challenges are consistently getting harder to anticipate and manage. At the TPM in early March, we discussed

Originally published in the October 2014 Journal of Commerce on-line

When have you done enough? Based on a recent exchange in a LinkedIn discussion group, there is real disagreement. Despite that lack of concurrence, two court cases decided in the last few months again drive home the point that proper internal controls are a must.