CBSA celebrates International Customs Day

OTTAWA, Jan. 26, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, along with its customs and border management partners around the world, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) celebrates International Customs Day. Guided by the World Customs Organization (WCO) under a new theme each year, this tradition provides a great opportunity to recognize the outstanding work carried out each day by CBSA employees across Canada.

The WCO is dedicating 2018 to "A secure business environment for economic development" which aligns with one of the CBSA's priorities: to contribute to a strong economy by facilitating the flow of low-risk trade in a high-volume, time-sensitive, trans-border environment. By adopting emerging technologies and strengthening its partnerships, the CBSA continues to advance measures to make cross-border trade processing more secure, efficient and streamlined, which benefits industry and the Canadian economy.

The Agency's Trusted Traders Programs are a cornerstone of its efforts to support economic development and provide tangible benefits, such as expedited border clearance and simplified accounting processes for pre-approved, low-risk companies. These partnership programs increase supply chain security and allow the CBSA to improve its capacity to manage risk before it reaches the border, supporting Canada's economic competiveness and national security priorities. By being considered low risk, trusted traders are less likely to experience border delays due to examinations, enhancing marketability and global competitiveness.

The CBSA has also developed the eManifest Portal for highway carriers and freight forwarders to facilitate trade, moving from paper to electronic data transmission prior to the arrival of shipments. Collecting and risk assessing information before it reaches Canada improves the commercial flow at the border by allowing frontline officers to focus their efforts on high risk shipments.

Quotes

"The Canada Border Services Agency works assiduously to facilitate the movement of goods and travellers while securing the border. Every day across more than a thousand points of service, officers process more than 250,000 travellers and 40,000 commercial shipments in an efficient and reliable way, providing service that Canadians, visitors and businesses can count on.  International Customs Day is an opportunity for us to recognize the importance of this work, in cooperation with our international partners and the World Customs Organization."

— Hon. Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

"Today we celebrate our connection to customs organizations around the world and our contribution to the economic prosperity that comes from innovative and co-operative border management."

— John Ossowski, President, Canada Border Services Agency

Quick Facts

• Currently there are over 2,900 members in the CBSA's Trusted Trader programs, whose international trade activities account for 34.5% of the commercial value for duty on all goods imported into Canada.
• Canada has signed Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) with the Customs Administrations of the United States, Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Australia, South Korea and Israel. MRAs provide benefits to Canadian trusted traders.
• The eManifest project applies sophisticated risk assessment of pre-arrival shipment information in order to identify non-compliance. This major project, developed in co-operation with the World Customs Organization to achieve a standard data model for use across jurisdictions, has assisted in making border processes more secure and compatible with North American and international standards.
• There are over 11,000 highway carriers, freight forwarders, warehouse operators and brokers currently using the eManifest Portal.

Related Links

World Customs Organization – 2018 International Customs Day
Canada Border Services Agency (Trusted Traders Video) 
Canada Border Services Agency (eManifest)

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SOURCE Canada Border Services Agency

Media Relations, Canada Border Services Agency, 613-957-6500