Textiles & Clothing
Message to the Industry - Textile & Clothing
Last phase of the Quota Elimination under
WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing (ATC)
This is to inform importers, brokers and other interested parties that
elimination of quantitative restraints on textiles and apparel at the
end of 2004 will be implemented on the basis of the date of shipment of
the goods in question from the country of origin.
Under the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Textiles and Clothing
(ATC), quantitative restraints on imports of textiles and apparel established
under bilateral restraint arrangements with certain WTO members are to
eliminated by January 1, 2005.
Under these bilateral restraint arrangements, the quantitative restraints
are administered on the basis of the date of shipment of the goods from
the country of origin.
Therefore, any textile and clothing whose export to Canada is subject
to quantitative restrictions from a WTO member and which is shipped for
export to Canada during 2004 will continue to require an export licence
and subsequent import permit for their import into Canada, regardless
of whether the goods are presented to the Canadian Border Services Agency
during 2004 or after December 31, 2004. This also applies to textile goods
transhipped through a third country or stored in sufferance warehouses
if they had been shipped from the country of origin before the end of
2004.
Canada will maintain its system of import permits in order to administer
its remaining import restraints until at least the end of the ATC transition
period. Canada will continue to enforce strictly the regulations governing
the importation of textiles and clothing.
Further information
Further information on the WTO Agreement on Textiles and Clothing and
the last phase of quota elimination can be obtained from:
Textiles and Clothing Trade Policy Division
Export and Import Controls Bureau
International Trade Canada
125 Sussex Drive, Tower C , 4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0G2
Telephone: (613) 995-8367
Facsimile : (613) 995-5137
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