Canada to make steel supply chain more transparent
by David Fleschen
The Government of Canada is committed to transparency in the collection and publication of data related to steel imports. Now, Mary Ng, Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, announced that beginning November 5th, 2024, steel importers will be required to report “country of melt and pour” information to the Canada Border Services Agency when completing their customs declarations under Canada’s Steel Import Monitoring Program.
As part of a phased-in approach, steel importers now have the option to begin reporting data regarding the country where raw steel was first produced. This process will ensure Canada is working with the steel industry to support an effective and smooth transition to mandatory reporting in fall 2024.
Global Affairs Canada will analyze this data and publish reports on steel import trends.“Canada is implementing a predictable and transparent process for collecting melt and pour information, which will bring more reliability and resiliency to the North American steel supply chain. This is yet another step Team Canada is taking to support good jobs and strengthen our North American competitiveness", commented Mary Ng.
In 2022, the Canadian steel industry employed nearly 23,600 workers and contributed over $4.5 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product.
The Steel Import Monitoring Program supports the timely publication of data on the type, quantity, origin and value of steel imports and is a source of preliminary information to track possible trends in real time. In 2023, more than 373,000 steel import transactions were monitored under the Program.
The Government of Canada is implementing its phased-in approach to collecting country of melt and pour information following public consultations with steel industry stakeholders in 2022. In the coming months, stakeholders will have a further opportunity to provide input on related upcoming regulatory changes.
Currently, the United States is the only other country in the world that collects country of melt and pour information for steel imports.
Source: Canadian Government, Photo: Fotolia