The following is provide by the Canadian Society of Customs Brokers (CSCB) – Dec 22, 2004.

International Trade Minister Jim Peterson today issued the following statement on the public consultations concerning the Byrd Amendment:

"On November 23, 2004, the Government of Canada launched consultations with Canadians on possible trade retaliation against the United States in response to the U.S. failure to comply with the World Trade Organization (WTO) ruling on the Byrd Amendment. The Byrd Amendment, which allows U.S. companies to receive anti-dumping and countervailing duties collected from foreign competitors, was found to be illegal under the WTO.

"With public consultations having formally ended on December 20, the Government's priority now is to review the comments received from Canadian stakeholders. We are pleased that so many Canadians, representing a range of interests, have taken part in the consultation process. Once the comments are assessed, the Government will make its decision public. In the meantime, Canada will continue to work with allies including the European Union and Japan as it explores retaliatory measures. Canada urges the United States to repeal the Byrd Amendment and comply with its WTO obligations.

"Canada is considering ways in which it can effectively defend Canada's interests, including selective and strategic retaliation consistent with our WTO rights. In doing so, we will continue to work with stakeholders from across the country. It is clear from what we saw out of the U.S. last week on softwood lumber that Canada must strongly advocate its case so that its views are heard south of the border.

Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale and Minister of Industry David L. Emerson today announced a number of initiatives designed to help Canada's textile and apparel industries better compete in changing world markets. As part of today's announcement, the Government of Canada will:

• Eliminate tariffs on fibre and yarn imports (worth up to $15 million per year) and on imports of textile inputs used by the apparel industry (worth up to $75 million per year), effective January 1, 2005.
  
• Provide $50 million in additional funding to the Textile Production Efficiency Component (CANtex) over the next five years to encourage Canadian textile companies to shift to higher value-added products, focus on niche markets and improve productivity.
  
• Extend current duty remission orders benefiting textile and apparel manufacturers for five years, gradually phasing out benefits over the final three years.
  

The CSCB Board of Directors, at its recent meeting, discussed measures for
assisting members in communicating with their clients regarding the situation at
CN's Brampton facility. As a result of those discussions, a message has been
drafted, the text of which is posted on the CSCB website at the following address:

http://www.cscb.ca/070/pb_fs04_e.htm

http://www.ups.com/content/ca/en/about/news/work_stop_ca.html