The Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) compliance priorities reflect a dynamic, risk-based process designed to address evolving trade and compliance risks throughout the year. The agency’s efforts are focused on targeted verifications and compliance measures to ensure adherence to Canada’s trade laws and regulations.
New Compliance Priorities
For 2025, the CBSA has identified several new compliance priorities aimed at addressing critical areas of trade compliance. These include:
- Tariff rate quota and classification of supply managed goods
- Verifications on the classification of frozen desserts containing 5% of dairy products
- Tariff classification of gloves
- Third round of verifications on gloves classified under headings 39.26 and 42.03
- GST and excise duties and taxes
- GST exemption codes
- Vaping products subject to excise duties and taxes
- Import origin verifications under:
- Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA)
- Canada-United Kingdom Trade Continuity Agreement (CUKTCA)
- Duties Relief Program (DRP)
- Verifications of licensees importing supply managed goods
- Most-Favoured-Nation (MFN) tariff treatment withdrawn from Russia and Belarus
- China Surtax Order (2024): Electric vehicles
- China Surtax Order (2024): Steel and Aluminum
The CBSA emphasizes that its compliance and verification priorities are subject to change as the risk environment evolves. This flexibility ensures the agency’s ability to address new threats and compliance issues in real-time. Importers and other stakeholders are encouraged to remain informed about updates to CBSA’s priorities to ensure adherence to Canadian trade regulations. If you have additional questions about how this may impact your business, reach out to your Mohawk Global Representative.