Safeguard reference
International trade rules allow Canada to temporarily restrict imports to allow Canadian producers to adapt. These temporary measures are called safeguards.
The Tribunal has the authority to inquire into:
- safeguard complaints from Canadian producers; and
- safeguard references from the Government of Canada.
Complaints from Canadian producers can cover:
- imports from all countries (global safeguards); and
- imports from countries with which Canada has signed a free trade agreement (bilateral safeguards).
When directed by the Government, the Tribunal can also recommend appropriate remedies to offset the harmful effects of import surges.
In 2018, the Governor in Council directed the Tribunal to conduct a safeguard inquiry concerning the importation of certain steel goods into Canada. Further to the 2019 safeguard inquiry, followed by the Order Imposing a Surtax on the Importation of Certain Steel Goods (Surtax Order), the Tribunal was asked to conduct inquiries, at specified six-month intervals, regarding requests for the exclusion of certain products from the safeguard measures enacted in the Surtax Order.
During this fiscal year, the Tribunal conducted its fourth and final inquiry in advance of the expiry of the Surtax Order on October 24, 2021, and submitted a report to the Governor in Council in response to the Order Referring to the Canadian International Trade Tribunal, for Inquiry into and Reporting on, the Matter of the Exclusion of Certain Steel Goods from the Order Imposing a Surtax on the Importation of Certain Steel Goods. The Tribunal received one request for the exclusion of a stainless steel wire product. Having considered the arguments and evidence of the parties to the proceeding, the Tribunal recommended that the exclusion request be granted. The Tribunal issued its report on July 9, 2021.