Who we are
History of the Tribunal
The Tribunal has a long and rich history
| 1888 | The Board of Customs is established. Its powers include the review of matters such as the value for duty, the re-determination of a rate of duty, or the exemption of a good from duty. The decisions of the Board are subject to the approval of the Minister of Revenue. |
|---|---|
| 1904 | Canada adopts its first anti-dumping legislation. It is among the first countries in the world to have such legislative tools. Under this legislation, duties are automatically applied to dumped goods, without case-by-case investigations. |
| 1931 | The Tariff Board is established as a successor to the Board of Customs and Board of Customs appellate powers are transferred to the Tariff Board. It is a court of record, independent from Customs. In addition to the appeal powers held by the Board of Customs, the Tariff Board inquires into economic matters referred to it by the Minister of Finance. |
| 1968 | The Anti-dumping Tribunal is established, following the adoption of the GATT Anti-Dumping Code. The application of anti-dumping duties is, from now on, subject to a determination by an independent tribunal of whether the dumping has caused material injury to domestic production. |
| 1969 | The Anti-dumping Tribunal becomes the Canadian Import Tribunal to reflect a broader mandate to conduct injury inquiries in both anti-dumping and countervailing duty proceedings under the newly adopted Anti-dumping Act, as well as in safeguard cases. |
| 1970 | The Textile and Clothing Board is formed and inquires into safeguard complaints by the Canadian textile and apparel industries. |
| 1988 | The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) begins operations, following the merger of the Tariff Board, the Canadian Import Tribunal and the Textile and Clothing Board. |
| 1994 | The Tribunal absorbs the Procurement Review Board, established in 1988, extending the Tribunal’s mandate to include inquiries into whether federal procurement processes have been conducted in accordance with Canada’s domestic and international trade obligations. |
| 2014 | The Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada (ATSSC) is established to provide operational support and corporate services to a group of tribunals, including the CITT. Staff and resources associated with the CITT Secretariat are transferred to the new entity, while remaining mainly dedicated to the Tribunal. |
Members of the Tribunal
The Tribunal may be composed of up to seven full-time permanent members, including the Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson. In addition to his duties as a member of the Tribunal, the Chairperson assigns cases to members and manages the Tribunal’s work. Permanent members are appointed by the Governor in Council for a term of up to five years and can be renewed once. Up to five temporary members may also be appointed. Members have a variety of educational backgrounds and experience.
Mr. Frédéric Seppey is the Chairperson of the Tribunal. The Vice-Chairperson position has been vacant since June 2020. In 2021-22, the Tribunal operated with six permanent members and one temporary member. As of March 31, 2022, the Tribunal’s members are:
- Ms. Susan Beaubien (Permanent Member, mandate effective until March 3, 2024);
- Ms. Cheryl Beckett (Permanent Member, mandate effective until September 30, 2023);
- Mr. Georges Bujold (Permanent Member, mandate effective until September 30, 2023);
- Mr. Peter Burn (Permanent Member, mandate effective until January 29, 2023);
- Mr. Serge Fréchette (Temporary Member, mandate effective until April 12, 2022);
- Mr. Randolph W. Heggart (Permanent Member, mandate effective until June 17, 2024); and
- Mr. Frédéric Seppey (Chairperson, mandate effective until December 31, 2025).