Briefings

The Item 82 steel tariff-rate quota enters Year 2, Quarter 2 on September 30, 2026, running to December 29, 2026, under Global Affairs Canada Notice to importers Serial No. 1163. Quota is allocated through shipment-specific import permits (SSIPs) on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum share per single country each quarter, and unused quota does not carry over to the next period.

China is a non-FTA origin, so this is a live exposure. Above quota or country share — or without a valid SSIP whose validity period covers the CBSA release date — goods enter under GIP No. 80 or No. 81 and attract a 50% surtax. Apply early in the quarter and make sure the permit dates bracket your actual release, not your ETA.

CBSA reminder TCC26-0107, issued September 24, 2026, confirms that the conditional Country of Smelt and Cast requirements for aluminum imported under General Import Permit No. 83 are scheduled to go into the Integrated Import Declaration production environment on October 1, 2026. Three new component type description codes in SG128.COD.7505 carry country of largest smelt (CLS), country of second-largest smelt (C2S) and country of most recent cast (CRC); generic country codes "2A" and "99" are available in both the certification lab and production.

If you import Chinese aluminum under the Aluminum Import Monitoring Program, the data has to come from the mill. Get smelt and cast origin into the commercial invoice package now rather than chasing it at the border.

Drewry's World Container Index fell 1% to US$4,468 per 40ft in the week to September 24, 2026, but the Trans-Pacific went the other way: Shanghai–Los Angeles up 2% to US$7,838 per 40ft and Shanghai–New York roughly flat at US$10,373. Carriers announced 15 Trans-Pacific blank sailings for the following week, up from 9.

Golden Week starts October 1, and the next general rate increase lands the same day at US$2,000–US$3,000 per 40ft depending on carrier. Forwarders report bookings being rolled and confirmed slots cancelled on space and weight limits, with arrivals swinging three to four days either side of schedule. For Q4 deadline cargo, confirmed space beats the cheapest rate. The WCI publishes no Shanghai–Vancouver leg; Shanghai–Los Angeles is the working proxy for BC gateway pricing.

The Port of Vancouver handled 1.90 million TEU in the first half of 2026: imports up 2% to 979,291 TEU, exports up 4% to 421,330 TEU, overall containers 1% above H1 2025 but 2% below the 1.94 million TEU half-year record set in 2021. Empties handled fell 1% to 500,970 TEU as lines managed box inventories. Total cargo was a record 88.1 million tonnes, up 3%.

For a China→Canada importer the read is benign: loaded import growth is modest, so berth and rail pressure through the Golden Week lull should stay manageable. The number to watch instead is equipment — falling empty repositioning at Vancouver is the same inventory management that shows up as box shortages at Chinese origin ports.

With US 50% tariffs on Canadian goods and Canada's counter-tariffs in force, forwarders report Canadian importers testing non-US sourcing in industrial manufacturing, automotive components and consumer packaged goods — the verticals where a 25–50% tariff erases margin. The movement so far is trial batches of a few TEU or LCL, because a two-day cross-border truckload becomes a 14–21 day ocean voyage and the inventory model has to be rebuilt.

The Port of Vancouver's own reading points the same way: the proportion of US-bound imports continues to decline. For the China lane this is a demand signal — expect first-time Canadian buyers arriving as LCL enquiries with no import history, no CARM account and no idea that SIMA exists.

On September 17, 2026 the Canadian International Trade Tribunal rescinded its order on photovoltaic modules and laminates originating in or exported from China, and CBSA published the notice of expiry (SML 2026 ER) on September 22, 2026. Anti-dumping and countervailing duties no longer apply to new releases of goods covered by that order.

Subject goods were normally classified under 8541.42.00.00 and 8541.43.00.00, and exporters without assigned normal values faced anti-dumping duty of 154.4% of the export price. Rebuild your landed-cost model and SIMA declarations now — goods released before the rescission are still assessed on the basis that applied at the time of release.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal issued its finding in inquiry NQ-2026-002 on September 22, 2026: dumped and subsidized forged grinding media from China are threatening injury to the domestic industry, so CBSA will collect anti-dumping and countervailing duties. The provisional period is over and final rates apply to subject goods released on or after September 22, 2026; the goods are usually entered under 7326.11.00.00.

During the provisional period the "all other exporters" rate was 125.3% of export price, against 43.6% to 82.9% for the five named Chinese exporters. Confirm your mill's exporter status and normal values before the next booking, and tell your broker the goods are SIMA-subject.

Tariff-rate quotas for steel goods administered under the Amended Surtax Order transition to the second quarter of year 2 on September 30, 2026. Under *Notice to importers: Item 82 – Steel goods – Serial No. 1163*, shipment-specific permit applications may be filed up to 15 days before the expected entry date, so applications for a September 30, 2026 entry could be submitted from September 15, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. (ET). Product scope and quota volumes are unchanged from the first quarter of year 2.

Global Affairs Canada advised on September 18, 2026 that exceptionally high application volume in the New EICS generated duplicate permits and longer processing times; duplicates are rejected with the original application number quoted, and First-Come, First-Served queue position is preserved. For a China→Canada importer: apply the moment the window opens for steel landing around the quarter turn, and confirm each permit actually issued — cargo without in-quota permit coverage is exposed to the surtax.

CBSA made preliminary determinations of dumping and subsidizing on steel racks originating in or exported from China on September 2, 2026 under subsection 38(1) of SIMA, and published its Statement of Reasons on September 17, 2026. Provisional duties are payable on subject goods released on or after September 2, 2026.

For a China→Canada importer: screen racking, shelving and rack components in your FCL against the product definition before the box loads. Provisional duty is cash out the door at release and is assessed exporter by exporter, so an incomplete exporter declaration puts you on the worst rate. The CITT opened final injury inquiry NQ-2026-005 on September 3, 2026 and will decide injury on December 31, 2026; duties only become definitive if injury is found.

On September 17, 2026 the Canadian International Trade Tribunal terminated the expiry review of its order of March 25, 2021 in RR-2020-001 covering certain photovoltaic modules and laminates from China, and rescinded that order. CBSA will therefore not continue to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on these goods. pv magazine reported the termination followed a lack of domestic-producer support for the review.

For a China→Canada importer: the SIMA component comes out of the landed cost on directly shipped Chinese modules — a material change for solar EPC and distribution buyers. Review in-transit and recently released entries with your broker before accounting so the treatment is applied correctly the first time.

Drewry's World Container Index rose 1% to $4,500 per 40ft on September 17, 2026, led by the transpacific: Shanghai–Los Angeles up 5% to $7,712 per 40ft and Shanghai–New York up 7% to $10,394 per 40ft, with nine blank sailings announced for the following week.

Carriers are managing the post-holiday lull hard. Maersk will suspend its standalone transpacific TPX extra loader after the 4,200 teu *Maersk Boston* departs Vung Tau on September 29, keeping TPX out for the balance of Q4 2026 — more than 10% of its weekly transpacific capacity on Linerlytica figures — and MSC blanked its Asia–US east coast Emerald service in week 41. For a China→Canada importer: the WCI has no Vancouver leg, so Shanghai–Los Angeles is the working proxy for our lane. Book pre-Golden Week cargo now, assume tighter space and higher roll risk into mid-October, and hold schedule buffer on any fixed arrival date.

Global Affairs Canada announced on September 17, 2026 that Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu would be in Mumbai on September 18 and 19, 2026 to advance a Canada–India comprehensive economic partnership agreement; three negotiating rounds are complete, a fourth was under way, and both sides share the objective of concluding by the end of 2026. He then joins the Fifteenth ASEAN Economic Ministers–Canada Consultation in Manila on September 21-22, 2026 to advance the ASEAN–Canada and Canada–Philippines FTA negotiations.

For a China→Canada importer: nothing changes on today's entry. But Canada is explicitly working to double exports beyond the United States, and new preferential origins over the next 12–24 months shift the math for buyers already dual-sourcing between China and Southeast Asia. Keep origin, supplier and cost data clean enough to model an FTA scenario when the texts land.

CBSA published its Statement of Reasons on September 15, 2026 for the investigations it initiated on August 31, 2026 into the alleged dumping and subsidizing of truck and bus tires originating in or exported from China (TBT 2026 IN), following a complaint by the Canadian Retread Manufacturers Association of Vancouver and Michelin North America (Canada) Inc. The CITT will determine whether there is a reasonable indication of injury in PI-2026-005 on October 30, 2026, and CBSA makes preliminary decisions within 90 days of initiation, at which point provisional duties may apply.

For a China→Canada importer: if you run a TBR tire program out of China, build the duty contingency into pricing and contracts now. Provisional duties attach at release with no grace period, and inventory landed after a preliminary determination is the expensive inventory.

On September 15, 2026 CBSA concluded an administrative review of the normal values, export prices and amounts of subsidy applicable to upholstered domestic seating originating in China and Vietnam and exported from the United States by Wayfair LLC. The review is part of CBSA's enforcement of the CITT finding issued on September 2, 2021.

For a China→Canada importer: sofa, chair and sectional programs need the SIMA values used at accounting refreshed against the current Measures in Force listing, including the product definition and tariff classification numbers. A stale normal value does not stay quiet — it comes back as a re-assessment with interest, usually long after the goods have been sold.

*Notice to importers – General import permit No. 83 – Aluminum products – Serial No. 1170*, dated September 14, 2026, sets out the Aluminum Import Monitoring Program and summarizes amendments to GIP No. 83 effective October 1, 2026 that require importers to report and maintain records on the country or countries of smelt and cast for applicable aluminum products as a term and condition of using the permit. The program does not limit the quantity of aluminum that may be imported.

For a China→Canada importer: get smelt-and-cast data out of your Chinese mill and into the purchase order and commercial invoice template this month. Because it is a condition of the GIP, thin or missing records are a permit-compliance exposure on audit, not just a data-entry nuisance.

Drewry's World Container Index for September 10, 2026 was flat at $4,476 per 40ft, with Shanghai–Los Angeles up 2% to $7,352 and Shanghai–New York up 1% to $9,726; Freightos put Asia–US West Coast at about $7,600/FEU and East Coast at about $9,500/FEU on September 8, with early signs of cooling. Demand that began in late May, typhoon-driven congestion at Shanghai and Ningbo, and rising bunker costs have kept rates at peak-season levels since July.

Carriers are defending rates into China's National Day holiday (October 1–7): Drewry expects 47 blank sailings across East–West trades between weeks 37 and 41, out of 729 scheduled, and MSC has blanked sailings on its Asia–US West Coast network for the holiday. For Vancouver and Prince Rupert cargo, book October arrivals early and expect further GRI filings in September before rates soften after the holiday.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal submitted its safeguard report on certain vegetable goods to the Governor in Council on September 9, 2026, concluding that increased imports of canned vegetables were a principal cause of serious injury to Canadian producers. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said the government is reviewing the report and the existing provisional measure remains in effect.

That means the 10% surtax under the Certain Canned Vegetable Goods Surtax Order (CBSA Customs Notice 26-14, in force since June 19, 2026 for up to 200 days) continues to apply to canned corn, peas, beans, chickpeas and mixed vegetables in heading 2005, and China-origin goods are not exempt. Importers should expect a final measure to replace the provisional one before the 200-day clock runs out in early January 2027 and should keep pricing the surtax into orders.

After US Section 338 tariffs of 50% on a range of Canadian goods took effect on August 22, 2026, Canada's United States Surtax Order (2026) came into force at 12:01 a.m. on September 8, 2026, applying surtaxes of 15%, 25% or 50% to about $27.6 billion of US-origin goods, including steel and aluminum, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, electronics and consumer goods. US steel and aluminum move from 25% to 50%. Goods in transit to Canada before September 8 are exempt.

CBSA Customs Notice 26-23 (September 7) sets the declaration: surtax codes 26186A (15%), 26186B (25%) and 26186C (50%) with the amount in field 85 of the CAD, and remission is claimed at entry under the existing framework. For China-Canada importers the read-through is competitive: US-origin steel products, appliances and consumer goods now carry a heavier duty load, while origin declarations on mixed-origin shipments will get closer scrutiny.

In early September, commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained well below pre-conflict levels and dependent on US Navy escorts; a US naval blockade targets Iranian ports, and Iran announced on September 6, 2026 plans for a wider exclusion zone for vessels approaching the strait. Fighting resumed after the July collapse of a ceasefire in a conflict that began on February 28, 2026.

For container shipping the effect is fuel: bunker prices have climbed since July and are back near June levels, and FreightWaves notes on September 8 that higher fuel costs set an elevated floor under container rates even as demand cools. China–Canada importers should expect bunker adjustment factors and emergency fuel surcharges to stay elevated through Q4 regardless of how spot rates move after Golden Week.

On September 2, 2026 the CBSA issued preliminary determinations of dumping and subsidizing on steel racks from China (RACK 2026 IN). Provisional duties apply to goods released on or after that date: 7.0% for Nanjing A-Plus Metal Products Co., Ltd. (dumping 0.0%, subsidy 7.0%) and 13.1% for all other exporters (dumping 6.1%, subsidy 7.0%), expressed as a percentage of export price. Subject goods fall mainly under 7308.90.00 subheadings plus 7326.90.90.90 and 9403.20.00.70.

The CITT opened its final injury inquiry (NQ-2026-005) on September 3 with a finding due December 31, 2026. Steel racking may also be caught by Canada's steel surtax measures depending on where the steel was melted and poured, so importers of warehouse shelving and pallet racking should have their broker check both layers before quoting landed cost.

The CBSA opened an expiry review (UDS 2026 ER) on September 1, 2026 of the CITT's September 2, 2021 finding (NQ-2021-002) on upholstered domestic seating from China and Vietnam, after the Tribunal initiated its own review on August 31. Anti-dumping and countervailing duties continue to apply throughout the review; the CBSA's determination is due January 28, 2027, with the Tribunal's order to follow in early 2027.

Separately, the CBSA concluded an administrative review (UDS 2026 UP1) on August 21, 2026, issuing updated normal values for Zhejiang Trayton (China) and HTL Vietnam. Importers of sofas and recliners should get the revised normal values from their exporter now, since goods priced at or above normal value attract no anti-dumping duty. Questionnaire responses in the expiry review are due October 8, 2026.

The second period of Quota Year 1 for electric vehicles from China runs September 1, 2026 to February 28, 2027. The base allocation is 24,500 vehicles, and because only 15,603 of the first period's spaces were used, 8,897 unused places carry forward, leaving 33,397 vehicles available, according to Global Affairs Canada's utilization data cited in the notice.

Permits are issued first-come, first-served until the quantity is exhausted; in-quota vehicles pay only the 6.1% MFN tariff, against the former 100% surtax. Dealers and fleet buyers planning China-built EV imports should apply early in the window, since permits stop once the quota is used.

On August 31, 2026 the CBSA initiated investigations (TBT 2026 IN) into pneumatic truck and bus tires from China with rim diameters of 17.5, 19.5, 22.5 or 24.5 inches, classified under 4011.20.00.13, 4011.20.00.19 and 4012.12.00.00, on a complaint by the Canadian Retread Manufacturers Association and Michelin North America (Canada). The CBSA estimates the Canadian market at roughly $1.2 billion a year.

The CITT rules on reasonable indication of injury by October 30, 2026; the CBSA's preliminary determinations, and any provisional duties, follow by November 30, 2026. Fleet operators and tire distributors buying China-origin commercial tires have a window of roughly three months to land inventory before duty exposure can start.

The Trans-Canada Highway through the Fraser Canyon near Boston Bar reopened on August 27, 2026 after a closure of about seven weeks caused by the wildfire that had also cut both CN and CPKC mainlines out of the Port of Vancouver in late July; the evacuation alert for Boston Bar has been lifted.

No further rail outages on the corridor surfaced during the window, and the Port of Vancouver's early-September vessel line-up showed container ships waiting under a day for berth. For importers this closes the summer's main inland-routing risk, though the two railways' shared directional-running zone through the Fraser Canyon remains the single point of failure for Vancouver import boxes headed east.

On August 24, 2026 the CBSA made preliminary determinations of dumping and subsidizing on decorative and other non-structural plywood from China (DONP2 2026 IN), including veneer core platforms, across 15 tariff classifications in heading 4412. Provisional duties apply to goods released on or after August 24: 11 named exporters carry rates from 0.0% to 173.6%, and all other exporters pay 227.5% of export price.

Structural plywood, finished flooring plywood, Phenolic Film Faced Plyform and certain LVL door and window components are excluded. The CBSA's final determinations are due November 23, 2026 and the CITT's injury finding (NQ-2026-004) by December 22, 2026. Importers should confirm the exporter's name on the commercial invoice matches the CBSA list exactly; a trading-company invoice can push a shipment into the all-others rate.

CBSA Customs Notice 26-20 (August 21, 2026) clarifies how goods subject to tariff rate quotas, including steel under Customs Notice 25-24, move through a Customs Bonded Warehouse. To claim the within-access rate, the importer must hold a shipment-specific import permit from Global Affairs Canada whose validity covers the date the goods leave the warehouse; if the permit lapses while goods sit in storage, they exit at the over-access rate with the 50% surtax and possible penalties.

Goods entered without a permit go in under the General Import Permit with surtax applied, and a Type 10 CAD amendment is needed once the shipment-specific permit is obtained, before exiting on a Type 20/21. This is a clarification, not a policy change, but it matters for China-origin steel where quota is thin: warehousing to wait for the next quarterly quota window only works if the permit timing is managed.

On August 17, 2026 the CBSA initiated dumping and subsidy investigations (PCC 2026 IN) into paperboard cups and containers rolled from coated paperboard stock, originating in or exported from China, classified under 4823.69.00.10 and 4823.69.00.90. The complaint came from Great Pacific Enterprises (Genpak); the CBSA puts the Canadian market at about $289 million a year.

No duty applies yet. The CITT decides on reasonable indication of injury by October 16, 2026, and the CBSA's preliminary determination is due by November 16, 2026, the earliest point at which provisional duties could be collected on goods released from that date. Food-service importers should price that risk into Q4 orders and confirm whether their supplier will cooperate with the CBSA questionnaire, since non-cooperating exporters typically receive the highest rate.

Drewry's World Container Index for the week of August 13, 2026 put Shanghai–Los Angeles at $6,244/40ft (up 6% week-on-week) and the composite at $4,339/40ft, with carriers actively restricting space — about 10 sailings cancelled in each of the two prior weeks. Drewry expects 49 blank sailings (a 7% cancellation rate) across East–West trades in weeks 34–38, with the Transpacific eastbound absorbing 59% of the cuts; forwarder updates list 14 Transpacific blanks between August 24 and September 13, including 3 on Pacific Northwest loops serving Vancouver and Prince Rupert.

Capacity into BC gateways tightens through early September even as the tariff-driven peak cools — hold bookings 2–3 weeks out and expect roll risk if you book late.

Effective July 31, 2026 (CBSA Customs Notice 26-17), Canada applies a 25% surtax on the value for duty of wood cabinets, vanities and their subassemblies — frames, doors, drawers, panels — under tariff codes 9403.40.00.10, 9403.60.10.31, 9403.60.10.39 and 9403.91.00.90, for up to 200 days. China is not exempt; goods in transit before July 31 are excluded, and declarations use safeguard code 26169A in the CAD safeguard field.

The CITT inquiry is expected to conclude by January 15, 2027. Cabinet importers should document in-transit dates now and model the 25% into every purchase order placed this fall.

CBSA issued preliminary determinations of dumping and subsidizing of unarmoured building cables from China on July 29, 2026. Provisional duties apply to subject goods released on or after that date: Hebei Huatong 40.7%, Tianjin Feiya Fengda 88.6%, Zhejiang Cardiff 64.2%, and 225.9% for all other exporters, under primary HS codes 8544.49.00.19 and 8544.49.00.90.

The gap between named-exporter rates and the all-others rate is the whole game: confirm which rate your supply chain attracts before releasing goods, and expect final determinations in the fall.