Rough Diamonds Act schedule updated

Summary#

The Canada-government order Order Amending the Schedule to the Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act: SOR/2022-115 updates the list of countries in the schedule to the Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act so it matches who is in the Kimberley Process. The change takes effect on the day the order was registered (May 27, 2022).

What it does#

• Removes the entries for Russia, South Korea and Swaziland from the Act’s schedule.
• Adds the following entries (in alphabetical order): Eswatini, Kyrgyzstan, Mozambique, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation.
• In practice, this mostly reflects country name updates (for example, Swaziland → Eswatini, South Korea → Republic of Korea, Russia → Russian Federation) and the admission of Kyrgyzstan, Mozambique and Qatar to the international scheme.
• The change aligns the schedule with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme participants list (which the government says includes 60 participants representing 86 countries/territories).
• The order came into force on the day it was registered (May 27, 2022).

Who's affected#

• Diamond miners, traders and dealers who export or import rough diamonds.
• Agencies that check and enforce diamond shipments, including the Canada Border Services Agency and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
• The federal department that manages the program, Natural Resources Canada, and businesses that rely on legal diamond trade.
• The general public is not directly affected; the change is mainly administrative for international trade compliance.

Why it matters#

• The schedule in the Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act has to match the Kimberley Process list for Canada to legally export and import rough diamonds under that international system.
• Keeping the list up to date helps Canadian diamond businesses keep trading without interruption. The government says falling out of step could harm profitability and jobs in the diamond sector.
• The update is administrative: it doesn’t change how the trade is regulated in Canada, but it keeps Canada compliant with the international certification scheme that aims to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the market.