What we do
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal is an independent quasi-judicial body that reports to Parliament through the Minister of Finance. We play a central role in administering some of the important international and Canadian rules that govern trade.
Key areas of responsibility
Anti-dumping injury inquiries
We inquire into and decide whether dumped and/or subsidized imports have caused, or are threatening to cause, injury to a domestic industry.
Procurement inquiries
We inquire into complaints by potential suppliers concerning procurement by the federal government and decide whether the federal government breached its obligations under certain trade agreements to which Canada is party.
Customs and excise appeals
We hear and decide appeals of decisions of the
- Canada Border Services Agency made under the Customs Act and the Special Import Measures Act,
- Minister of National Revenue made under the Excise Tax Act.
Economic and tariff inquiries
We inquire into and provide advice on such economic, trade and tariff issues as are referred to the Tribunal by the Governor in Council or the Minister of Finance.
Safeguard inquiries
We inquire into complaints by domestic producers that increased imports are causing, or threatening to cause, injury to domestic producers and, as directed, make recommendations to the Government on an appropriate remedy.
How we do our work
We have the powers of a superior court. Some of our rules and procedures are similar to those of a court of law; however, we apply our rules and procedures in a less formal manner to promote accessibility, transparency and fairness.
We:
- allow parties to submit their evidence and views, and to respond to other parties before we make a final decision;
- often use requests for information and questionnaires to gather information during our proceedings;
- often hold public hearings to allow parties to call witnesses, explain their points of view and present arguments;
- at times base our decisions solely on the written information filed or collected during the proceedings;
- at times subpoena witnesses and require parties to submit information, even if it’s commercially confidential;
- take care to protect confidential information against unauthorized disclosure;
- work hard to respect tight statutory deadlines.
What we don’t do
The table below will help you find out where to address inquiries that don’t relate to our mandate.
| Topic | Organization to contact |
|---|---|
| Complaints by Canadian suppliers about designated federal government procurement contracts for goods below $33,400 and for services* and construction below $133,800. | Office of the Procurement Ombud |
| The determination and collection of duties. | Canada Border Service Agency |
| The determination of the existence of dumping and subsidizing. | Canada Border Service Agency |
* The threshold for services relating to the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement is $100,000.