WORLD TRADE
WT/L/634
23 November 2005
ORGANIZATION
(05-5613)
Original: English/
French
General Council
1-2 December 2005
CANADA - TARIFF TREATMENT FOR COMMONWEALTH
CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES
2005 Report of the Government of Canada on the Trade-Related Provisions
of CARIBCAN
The following communication, dated 23 November 2005, is being circulated at the request of
the Delegation of Canada.
_______________
Introduction
CARIBCAN is an economic and trade development assistance program for the
Commonwealth Caribbean countries and territories established as a result of a commitment by Canada
at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Nassau in October 1985.
The objectives of CARIBCAN are to enhance Commonwealth Caribbean trade and export
earnings, improve the trade and economic development prospects of the region, promote new
investment opportunities, and encourage enhanced economic integration and co-operation. The main
feature of CARIBCAN is the unilateral extension by Canada, beginning on 15 June 1986, of duty-free
access to the Canadian market for most commodities originating in Commonwealth Caribbean
countries.
On 28 November 1986, a decision by the Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) waived until 15 June 1998, the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 1 of the
General Agreement, "only to the extent necessary to permit the Government of Canada to provide
duty-free treatment to eligible imports of Commonwealth Caribbean countries benefiting from the
provisions of CARIBCAN, without being required to extend the same duty-free treatment to like
products of any other contracting party" (L/6102). On 14 October 1996, the WTO extended the
CARIBCAN waiver until 31 December 2006 (WT/L/185). The conditions associated with the
CARIBCAN waiver remain unchanged.
This report is being made in accordance with paragraph 3 of the WTO waiver of
14 October 1996 and Article IX of the WTO Agreement.
Country Coverage
The Customs Tariff lists 18 countries or dependent territories which are eligible to receive the
duty-free benefits accorded under CARIBCAN: Anguilla, Antigua-Barbuda, The Bahamas,
Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada,
Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the
WT/L/634
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Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. No additions or deletions from
this list have occurred since CARIBCAN was enacted on 15 June 1986.
Product Coverage
There have been no amendments to CARIBCAN product coverage since the changes made in
February 1998.
Today, product exclusions from the duty-free provisions of CARIBCAN are:
-
Goods of HS Chapters 50 to 65 inclusive;
-
Goods covered by tariff items with “over access commitment” rates of duty
established in the “tariffication” process.
Rules of Origin
The rules of origin for the purposes of the Commonwealth Caribbean Countries Tariff
(CCCT) treatment are set out in regulations enacted pursuant to Section 24 of the Customs Tariff.
To qualify for the duty-free treatment accorded to Commonwealth Caribbean countries, at
least 60 per cent of the ex-factory price of the goods as packed for shipment to Canada must originate
in one or more beneficiary countries or Canada. The 60 per cent qualifying content may be cumulated
from various CARIBCAN beneficiary countries or Canada. The goods must be finished in the
beneficiary country in the form in which they are imported into Canada. Pursuant to the Proof of
Origin Regulations, either a duly completed Certificate of Origin, Form A, or a written statement of
origin signed by the exporter, must be presented to Customs at the time of release, accounting or
refund.
Trade under CARIBCAN
Canada-CARIBCAN trade statistics are annexed in a series of tables to this report and include
2004 trade data. In general, these trade statistics indicate that:
-
In 2004, just under Can$782 million or 97 per cent of total Canadian imports from
CARIBCAN beneficiaries entered Canada free of duty. As shown in Annex III,
$654.7 million of this trade entered under MFN free rates while Can$6.3 million
entered duty-free under General Preferential Tariff (GPT). Can$121.5 million of this
trade entered under the preferential CARIBCAN tariff (CCCT). Annex IV shows the
top 25 commodity imports benefiting from the CARIBCAN preference.
-
Total Canada-CARIBCAN trade (exports plus imports) has grown from Can$799
million in 1994 to Can$1.3 billion in 2004. The value of Canadian imports from the
region has risen from Can$527 million in 1994 to Can$806 million in 2004. The
value of Canadian exports to CARIBCAN countries has risen from Can$273 million
in 1994 to Can$502 million in 2004.
WT/L/634
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Statistical Annexes:
Annex I:
Total Imports form CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 1994 - 2004
Annex II:
Total Canadian exports to CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 1994- 2004
Annex III:
2004 Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries by Tariff Treatment
Annex IV:
Top 25 Merchandise Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries which entered
Canada under the CARIBCAN Duty-Free Tariff Treatment (CCCT) in 2004
(thousands of Canadian dollars)
Country
Anguilla
Antigua - Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Montserrat
St. Lucia
St. Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos Islands
Total:
1994
5
368
44,867
14,098
17,686
13,988
37
586
423
440
203,865
211,328
78
463
1,888
247
16,122
66
526,555
1995
389
16,715
16,990
11,688
4,173
91
638
2,381
639
171,208
199,952
18
1,222
2,937
183
18,469
17
447,890
Source: Statistics Canada.
Notes: A dash (-) indicates that an amount is nil or negligible.
Annex I
1996
11
1,857
23,432
15,703
7,953
2,317
1,299
1,968
1,180
559
204,033
239,135
203
1,602
2,958
138
46,599
93
551,046
1997
41
1,256
8,056
13,736
12,737
3,751
199
624
1,390
1,112
203,375
257,507
341
1,287
4,426
137
26,215
338
536,630
1998
7
2,698
22,002
11,722
8,263
7,602
615
1,070
1,910
1,067
203,107
256,384
28
1,595
4,494
200
34,157
686
557,608
1999
8
402
25,959
10,652
14,027
19,689
614
654
1,642
1,602
192,020
201,074
248
580
5,120
152
73,688
1,823
549,954
2000
9
10,380
14,003
7,375
9,868
17,614
1,376
522
1,698
1,523
197,800
197,727
94
1,413
4,399
404
72,327
1,647
540,178
2001
10
340
13,785
9,118
3,739
2,369
1,324
27,571
775
1,037
209,474
324,783
113
237
6,121
310
195,141
1,007
797,254
2002
13
954
16,941
7,543
6,381
3,803
501
3,818
944
1,476
225,368
270,927
267
411
7,458
619
166,704
2,347
716,475
2003
8
748
48,149
6,282
4,501
1,655
1,146
2,242
358
1,082
201,099
264,871
453
266
8,722
124
232,921
7,980
782,607
2004
27
579
55,652
8,508
8,325
12,511
1,785
1,108
313
1,259
197,704
346,608
238
366
8,185
123
156,281
6,871
806,443
WT/
Page
Total Canadian Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 1994 – 2004
Total Canadian Exports to CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 1994-2004
(thousands of Canadian dollars)
Country
Anguilla
Antigua - Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
British Virgin Islands
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Montserrat
St. Lucia
St. Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Trinidad & Tobago
Turks & Caicos Islands
Total:
1994
127
6,022
15,170
33,459
4,776
22,004
4,551
4,483
1,613
1,936
5,517
89,578
208
10,425
4,098
3,015
65,192
387
272,561
1995
548
6,160
15,231
31,554
4,232
34,302
1,381
11,490
1,891
3,789
8,144
96,645
128
12,521
2,498
2,815
94,658
654
328,641
Annex II
1996
588
28,133
19,292
35,872
2,586
33,453
898
7,281
2,238
4,649
11,171
90,784
185
5,426
2,560
3,116
83,913
514
332,667
1997
881
9,384
21,610
37,193
9,847
39,177
3,417
1,369
1,840
3,321
10,671
86,937
149
8,729
2,011
4,063
102,544
537
343,680
1998
1,007
8,492
24,513
36,396
3,760
40,165
2,628
12,266
3,236
4,901
9,968
98,032
81
11,493
5,675
3,676
129,703
1,379
397,371
1999
673
11,402
26,301
41,087
3,332
42,973
28,743
8,127
5,560
4,839
14,655
96,699
83
12,524
10,646
4,633
161,936
2,357
476,570
2000
651
10,727
26,018
33,783
2,598
34,540
60,187
8,286
4,436
4,023
8,073
99,815
289
9,683
9,633
4,906
110,822
2,341
430,811
2001
2,802
10,434
27,706
29,104
3,505
34,715
2,240
63,858
2,671
3,142
8,068
121,933
214
7,375
16,147
3,941
156,222
2,366
496,443
2002
1,301
7,970
33,245
33,629
5,079
107,599
2,167
6,807
2,614
4,450
10,373
158,212
291
7,804
27,036
3,743
136,808
2,933
552,061
2003
802
17,273
28,883
41,979
5,271
42,945
2,129
7,671
7,668
5,868
9,536
124,650
300
7,423
12,059
5,874
125,507
10,372
456,210
2004
1,215
15,534
30,392
44,769
5,425
59,301
2,637
10,738
4,967
6,056
10,603
163,755
434
8,059
3,982
5,130
121,475
7,182
501,654
Source: Statistics Canada
Notes: A dash (-) indicates that an amount is nil or negligible. Includes Canadian domestic exports only.
WT/L/634
Page
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Annex III(i)
Duty Free 2004 Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries by Tariff Treatment
(in Canadian dollars)
Country
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Br. Virgin Is.
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Montserrat
St. Christopher (Kitts)
and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent/Gren.
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks/Caicos Is.
Total
Total
Imports
MFN Free
GPT
Free
Caribcan
(CCCT)
Free
Total Free
27,879
579,247
55,652,437
8,508,002
8,325,413
12,511,576
1,785,225
1,107,525
313,555
1,259,367
197,703,636
346,607,815
238,229
22,831
518,550
47,354,886
1,478,073
7,328,938
11,851,205
1,356,586
1,057,009
211,907
932,853
193,451,970
327,175,052
201,477
6,613
3,264,944
192,373
19,476
208,130
1,923,288
372,064
-
1,390
7,565,258
2,397,232
55,981
37,261
133
38,720
46,866
475,397
12,961,778
-
22,831
526,553
54,920,144
7,140,249
7,577,292
11,888,466
1,376,195
1,057,009
250,627
1,187,849
195,850,655
340,508,894
201,477
Total
Free as
% of
Total
Imports
82
91
99
84
91
95
77
95
80
94
99
98
85
8,185,253
366,305
123,094
156,281,426
6,870,982
806,446,966
1,860,798
303,196
118,780
53,412,441
6,113,288
654,749,840
104,236
197,665
6,288,789
21,477
52,704
236
97,290,135
508,793
121,453,361
1,986,511
355,900
119,016
150,900,241
6,622,081
782,491,990
24
97
97
97
96
97
Source: Statistic Canada.
Notes: A dash (-) indicates that an amount is nil or negligible.
WT/L/634
Page 7
Annex III(ii)
Dutiable 2004 imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries by Tariff Treatment
(in Canadian dollars)
Country
Anguilla
Antigua and Barbuda
Bahamas
Barbados
Belize
Bermuda
Br. Virgin Is.
Cayman Islands
Dominica
Grenada
Guyana
Jamaica
Montserrat
St. Christopher (Kitts)
and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent/Gren.
Trinidad and Tobago
Turks/Caicos Is.
Total
Total
Imports
MFN
Dutiable
GPT
Dutiable
Caribcan
Dutiable
27,879
579,247
55,652,437
8,508,002
8,325,413
12,511,576
1,785,225
1,107,525
313,555
1,259,367
197,703,636
346,607,815
238,229
5,048
52,694
732,293
1,313,956
748,121
622,756
227,993
50,516
62,928
71,518
1,772,938
5,850,492
36,752
3,695
181,037
35,917
96,344
-
50,102
354
44,126
152,085
-
5,048
52,694
732,293
1,367,753
748,121
623,110
409,030
50,516
62,928
71,518
1,852,981
6,098,921
36,752
Total
Dutiable as
% of Total
Imports
18
9
1
16
9
5
23
5
20
6
1
2
15
8,185,253
366,305
123,094
156,281,426
6,870,982
806,446,966
6,198,742
10,405
4,078
1,358,290
248,901
19,368,421
39,289
356,282
3,983,606
4,230,273
6,198,742
10,405
4,078
5,381,185
248,901
23,954,976
76
3
3
3
4
3
Source: Statistic Canada.
Notes: A dash (-) indicates that an amount is nil or negligible.
Total
Dutiable
WT/L/634
Page 8
Annex IV
Top 25 Merchandise Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries which entered Canada Under
CARIBCAN Duty-Free Tariff Treatment in 2004
(in Canadian Dollars)
HS
Tariff
29051100
72031000
22084010
03061100
85369091
21039020
22021000
07149090
22087000
19059049
19019020
19053192
21039090
04063010
20059090
73269090
07142000
09109990
20089210
17049090
20089930
22029090
39269090
21069029
83061090
Description
Methanol (methyl alcohol)
Ferrous products obtained by direct reduction of iron ore
Rum
Rock lobster and other sea crawfish (Palinurus spp., Panulirus spp.,
Jasus spp.)
Other: Junction boxes; Receptacle boxes of metal
Mixed condiments and mixed seasonings
Waters, including mineral waters and aerated waters, containing
added sugar or other sweetening matter or flavoured
Other [Arrowroot, salep, Jerusalem artichokes and similar roots and
tubers with high starch or inulin content, fresh, chilled or dried,
whether or not sliced or in the form of pellets; sago pith]
Liqueurs and cordials
Other biscuits [Containing less than 25% by weight of wheat]
Food preparations of flour, meal, starch or malt extract
Other: Wafers and frozen waffles containing 25% or more by weight
of wheat, in packages of a weight not exceeding 454 g each, and
sweet biscuits containing 25% or more by weight of wheat, in
packages of a weight not exceeding 1.36 kg each, over access....
Other [Sauces and preparations]
Within access commitment [Process cheese, not grated or powdered]
Other [Other vegetables and mixtures of vegetables]
Other [Other articles of iron or steel]
Sweet potatoes
Other spices
Mixtures of akalas, akees, anchovy pears, apple-pears, avocados,
bananas, bread fruit, carambolas, chayotes, cherimoyas (Jamaica
apples), citris fruit, dates, durians, feijoas, figs, fu quas (alsam pears)
genipes, guavas, imbus, jujubes, kiwi fruit…
Other [Sugar confectionery (including white chocolate), not
containing cocoa , not including chewing gum, whether or not sugarcoated]
Akalas, akees, anchovy pears, apple-pears, avocados, bananas,
banana chips (thin banana slices fried or otherwise prepared whether
or not salted, sweetened or otherwise flavoured), bread fruit,
carambolas, chayotes, cherimoyas (Jamaica apples)….
Other [non-alcoholic beverages, not including fruit or vegetable
juices of heading 20.09]
Other [Articles of plastics and articles of other materials of headings
39.01 to 39.14]
Other [Food concentrates and fruit syrups for use in beverages or
other food preparations]
Other [Bells, gongs and the like not including church bells]
Source: Statistics Canada import data.
__________
Imports under
CARIBCAN
Treatment
(CCCT)
85,931,244
12,570,537
8,326,249
8,102,138
837,556
677,247
668,217
620,050
524,656
513,130
415,956
349,575
326,571
298,774
295,620
278,226
271,932
244,192
199,282
190,152
186,781
179,992
168,614
158,180
141,600