Tighter Ivory and Rhino Horn Rules

Summary#

The government published the proposed Regulations Amending the Wild Animal and Plant Trade Regulations under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act on June 24, 2023. The proposal would tighten rules on importing and exporting elephant tusk (ivory) and rhinoceros horn, and it was open for public comment for 30 days.

What it does#

• Stops most trade in raw elephant tusk and raw rhinoceros horn by allowing permits for raw items only when they are for museums, zoos, scientific research, or law enforcement uses.
• Removes the current exemption that lets people bring in or take out worked (carved or shaped) ivory and horn as personal or household effects. Those worked items would now need a permit.
• Keeps existing permit rules for commercial trade in worked ivory, but increases monitoring and border checks to collect better data on what moves through Canada.
• If adopted, the amendments would come into force when they are registered (they are a proposal at this stage, not law).

Who's affected#

• People who own or move items containing elephant ivory or rhinoceros horn. This includes collectors, people moving house, and families with inherited items.
• Hunters who bring back trophies. The proposal does not ban legal hunting, but it would generally bar bringing back raw ivory or horn trophies to Canada.
• Businesses such as moving companies, taxidermists, auction houses, and antique dealers that handle or move these items—they may need to help clients get permits.
• Museums, research institutions and law enforcement bodies that work with raw specimens (these are the main groups that could still get permits).
• Border and enforcement agencies, including the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which would handle more permit checks and enforcement.
• The proposal raised concerns from Inuit organizations about possible future impacts on trade in non-elephant ivory (for example, walrus or narwhal), though the amendments target international trade in elephant and rhinoceros products and do not apply to Canadian wildlife.

Why it matters#

• The government says the rule aims to reduce Canada’s role in international trade that can fuel poaching and population declines. The IUCN estimates include an approximate 18% drop in African elephant numbers between 2007 and 2016, leaving about 415,000 African elephants, and large long-term declines for Asian elephants and some rhinoceros populations.
• Canada handles a small share of the global legal trade: about 4% of legal elephant ivory trade and less than 1% of legal rhinoceros horn trade, with an average of 14 elephant tusks and 2 rhinoceros horns imported per year (2015–2021). Even so, the change is meant to strengthen monitoring and make enforcement simpler at the border.
• There would be costs and paperwork. The government estimated total costs of about $5.7 million over 10 years, mostly to government enforcement ($5.5 million, including $5.3 million for enforcement work). Other estimated costs include $210,000 for permit processing and $240,000 for added administrative burden on Canadians over 10 years.
• The proposal prompted many public responses (about 86,000 submissions), with conservation groups generally supporting tighter limits and some hunters, dealers, and Indigenous groups raising concerns about impacts and unintended consequences.