Trade Tribunal hearings and CRTC notices

Summary#

This entry lists recent activity from the Canadian International Trade Tribunal and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission. It announces two public trade-appeal hearings in March 2020, a Tribunal decision and a new Tribunal inquiry made on February 12, 2020, and a set of routine CRTC applications and decisions posted between February 7 and February 13, 2020.

What it does#

• Schedules public hearings at the Tribunal in Ottawa for two customs appeals under the Customs Act:
  • Keurig Canada Inc. — hearing on March 19, 2020 (Appeal No. AP-2019-009). The issue is whether a Keurig Elite K40 Single Cup Brewing System should be classified as "coffee makers" or as "other electro-thermic appliances."
  • Scentsy Canada Enterprises ULC — hearing on March 24, 2020 (Appeal No. AP-2019-021). The issues include whether certain sales qualify as valid "sales for export," whether the company has a permanent establishment in Canada, and how the goods should be valued for duty.
• Reports that the Tribunal issued a determination (File No. PR-2019-045) on February 12, 2020 in a complaint by AJL Consulting about a procurement by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The Tribunal found the complaint not valid.
• Announces that the Tribunal decided to open an inquiry (File No. PR-2019-057) on February 12, 2020 into a complaint by SoftSim Technologies Inc. about a procurement by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development. The complainant alleges problems with the procurement process.
• Lists that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission posted Part 1 applications, administrative decisions, notices of consultation, and decisions on its website between February 7 and February 13, 2020, with some application deadlines such as March 12, 2020 for interventions on certain filings.

Who's affected#

• Importers, manufacturers, customs brokers and retailers involved with the goods in the appeals — for example Keurig Canada Inc. and Scentsy Canada Enterprises ULC — because classification and valuation rulings affect duties and clearance.
• Companies that bid on federal contracts, including AJL Consulting and SoftSim Technologies Inc., and other suppliers watching government procurements.
• Broadcasters, media companies and local communities that follow CRTC licence renewals and amendments (examples in the notices include Telelatino Network Inc., Univision Canada, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and Bell Media Inc.).
• The general public, indirectly, when classifications, duties or procurement outcomes affect prices, service availability, or which firms get public contracts.

Why it matters#

• A customs classification decision can change the tariff applied to a product. That can alter import costs for businesses and, potentially, prices for consumers.
• Procurement complaints and inquiries can affect which companies receive government contracts. They can also highlight problems in how federal departments run competitive procurements.
• The CRTC postings set timelines for public input on broadcasting matters and can lead to changes in local radio/TV services people receive.
• These notices are mostly procedural (scheduling hearings, reporting decisions, opening inquiries), but they point to decisions and processes that can have real economic effects for specific businesses and communities.