Anita Anand, Canada’s minister of foreign affairs, announced the opening of public consultations to help inform potential changes in connection with the administration of the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for certain steel imports, as identified in the Import Control List’s item 82.
“Canadian businesses and industry stakeholders play an essential role in helping us understand how trade measures operate on the ground,” said Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s minister of international trade, in a news release from Global Affairs Canada.
Focus of consultation
Through the consultations, importers, producers, processors, industry associations, and other interested parties and stakeholders can provide their insights and share their perspectives on the manner of administration of TRQs.
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On the consultation page, the federal government also urged the following, among others, to submit their comments within the consultation period:
- provincial and territorial governments
- national, provincial, territorial, and regional associations
- international trading partners
- small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and businesses of other sizes
- civil society organizations and non-governmental organizations
- Indigenous groups
- labour unions
- academics
- members of the general public
Those interested can give feedback from July 23 to Aug. 19.
“By participating in these consultations, they will provide valuable insights that will support ongoing efforts to administer tariff-rate quotas in a way that reflects market realities and supports a strong and competitive Canadian economy,” Sidhu said.
According to Global Affairs Canada’s news release, the submissions received may inform possible adjustments to the administration process to help the federal government adopt a transparent, predictable, and effective approach that both responds to Canadian business needs and aligns with the country’s trade policy goals.
“Canada is committed to maintaining a fair, transparent and predictable trading environment that supports Canadian workers and businesses while safeguarding our economic interests,” Anand said.
More on tariff-rate quotas
Global Affairs Canada’s news release provided more context regarding TRQs. Introduced in June 2025, the federal government intended the TRQs to respond to the risk of steel trade diversion into the Canadian market and the effects of non-market policies and practices driving global excess capacity.
Under the existing system, Canada administers TRQs via shipment-specific permits, given on a first-come, first-served basis.
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