Amendments to Customs Tariff Descriptions

Summary#

The Order Amending the Schedule to the Customs Tariff, 2022-1: SOR/2023-20 updates wording and descriptions used to classify imported goods. It was registered on February 6, 2023 and published in the Canada Gazette on February 15, 2023. The changes are technical and do not change customs duty rates.

What it does#

• Updates the wording and descriptions in the Customs Tariff so descriptions are clearer and match modern terminology and translations.
• Changes include specific edits to tariff lines such as:
  • Rewriting the description for tariff item 2106.90.35 to clarify milk/cream and butter substitutes with percentages (10%, 50%, 15%) for dairy content and milk fat.
  • Adjusting size notation from “3600 × 51” and “4000 × 57” to 36.00 × 51 and 40.00 × 57 for items 4011.70.10, 4011.80.10 and 4011.90.10.
  • Replacing some eyeglasses/safety item descriptions (items such as 9003.11.10 and 9004.90.10) to clarify they are for prismatic eyeglasses and safety goggles/spectacles used by workers in hazardous work.
  • Replacing several English words to more current or gender-neutral terms (examples: “nurserymen” → “nursery operators”; “firemen” → “firefighters”; “craftsmen” → “craftspeople”; “Sportsmen’s” → “Sportsperson’s”).
  • Making parallel corrections in the French text (for example, preambles for certain poultry and egg-related items).
• A total of 16 tariff-item updates were identified for this action. The Schedule to the Customs Tariff contains over 7,300 tariff lines in both official languages.
• The order takes effect on the day it was registered (see February 6, 2023).

Who's affected#

• Importers and their customs brokers — they use these descriptions to pick the correct tariff classification when declaring goods.
• Small businesses engaged in international trade, who may find clearer descriptions easier to use.
• Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and Statistics Canada — they administer and use the tariff schedule and were consulted on these updates.
• Finance Canada (the department responsible for the tariff schedule) — it made the changes.

Why it matters#

• Clearer, more current wording makes it easier to find the right tariff classification. That can reduce mistakes, processing delays, and risk of mis-declaration at the border.
• Because these are wording and translation updates only, there is no change to customs duty rates or immediate cost to importers.
• The changes should make the tariff easier to use for businesses and for officials who check import paperwork. This is the first such tidy-up since 2014.