Export and Import Permits Act Updates

Trade Update • FEBRUARY 2, 2021

In the latest edition of the Canada Gazette, the Government of Canada published amendments to the Export of Logs Permit and announced the repeal of two permits issued under the Export and Import Permits Act, which according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are “required in order to avoid misleading or contradictory information being provided to traders, and to repeal obsolete regulatory provisions that have no current application.”

GEP #5: Export of Logs Permit

General Export Permit No. 5 authorizes the export of “logs of all kinds of wood upon presentation to the collector of customs at the Canadian port of exit of a certificate satisfactory to the collector that the export consists of:

(a) peeled poles, peeled piling or peeled crib timber, 11 inches or under top diameter;
(b) posts or pit props; or
(c) boomsticks or swifters used as bindings on floating booms.”

Given that GEP No. 5 referenced the old  paper-based B13 export declaration that was recently done away with by the Canada Border Services Agency, the amendment was necessary in order to reflect this change.

GEP #10: Sugar, Syrups and Molasses

GEP No. 10 was originally intended to exempt Canadian exporters from obtaining a permit when exporting less than 5 kg of sugar, syrups and molasses to the United States for personal use. However, changes made for the purpose of implementing the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement resulted in a GEP no longer being required for such cases.

GIP #19: Cotton Terry Towels and Washcloths

GIP No. 19 authorized the import of “cotton terry towels and washcloths as described in item 29 of the Import Control List.”  Given that item 29 was repealed in 2005, GIP No. 19 no longer had any current application and therefore has now also been revoked.