Canada: Trade Regulation & Practices

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal has initiated an expiry review of anti-dumping and countervailing duties on refined sugar imports from five countries, presenting a critical opportunity for producers and importers to request product exclusions. This review, occurring every five years, will determine whether existing trade remedies remain necessary and allows parties to seek exemptions for products that Canadian industry cannot supply comparably.

President Trump has invoked a Depression-era trade statute to impose sweeping 50% tariffs on Canadian dairy, alcohol, and automobiles, directly challenging Canada's protectionist Supply Management system. The unprecedented use of Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 signals an aggressive push for major concessions on agricultural trade barriers as CUSMA negotiations intensify.

On July 20, 2026, President Trump issued three tariff actions to impose 50% ad valorem tariffs on a wide range of imports from Canada to "hold Canada accountable for its retaliation and discrimination" in the motor vehicle, alcoholic beverage, and dairy sectors. These tariffs are currently set to take effect on August 19, 2026.

Canada is extending several steel surtax measures and related tariff relief categories to protect steel workers and industries from trade diversion while providing business predictability for producers and importers. The Department of Finance has confirmed extensions for steel tariff-rate quotas, U.S. steel/aluminum surtax relief measures, and derivative goods surtax exemptions through June 2027.

Canada has implemented multiple surtax regimes targeting aluminum products, particularly those originating from or containing aluminum smelted and cast in China. These measures include a 25% surtax under the Chinese Surtax Order and additional provisions under the Steel and Aluminum Products Surtax Order, with potential ADCVD duties exceeding 180% under SIMA regulations.

Canada has implemented multiple layers of surtaxes targeting aluminum products of Chinese origin, with rates reaching 25% under various orders. These measures can apply even when products are shipped through third countries, and when combined with Anti-Dumping and Countervailing duties, total duties can exceed 180% for certain aluminum goods.

A ventilation systems installation company, 9201-2640 Québec Inc., pleaded guilty to bid-rigging and was fined $140,000 by the Quebec Superior Court.

VW recently employed a quick settlement strategy to deal with the fallout from its admission, in September 2015, that it had installed software to cheat on emissions tests on 11 million diesel powered VW and Audi vehicles.

Amazon has agreed to pay a $1,000,000 administrative monetary penalty and $60,000 in Competition Bureau costs, following the Bureau's conclusion that Amazon did not substantiate its sale prices.