RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/ADP/AHG/W/31
13October 1997
ORGANIZATION(97-4397)
Original: English Committee onAnti-Dumping Practices
AdHocGroup onImplementation
TIMELINE, CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION, AND LESSER
DUTY RULE (PARAGRAPH 3OFWTO/AIR/643)
Information Provided byCanada
Thefollowing communication, dated 7October 1997, hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofCanada.
_______________
A. TIMELINE
TheCanadian Anti-Dumping Process
Maximum Time from Initiation1Activity
Varies Various periods of
timebefore written
complaint2Initial Contact withRevenue Canada byDomestic Producers (Complainants)
51days
before
initiationDumping Complaint (written allegations ofdumping, injury andcausality with
supporting data)
30days
before
initiation3Upto21days
following the
receipt ofwritten
complaintDecision whether Complaint Properly Documented (PDC)
-determination ofsufficiency ofinformation toevaluate allegations
-where complaint isproperly documented, foreign government(s) notified
1Forgreater clarity, onlythose activities setoutinboldprint relate totimelimits specified inlegislation.
2NotallcontactswithRevenue Canada regardingpossibledumpi ngcompl aintsresultinaformalcompl aintbythedomest ic
industry.
3Extendible toamaximum of45daysinorder toverify standing requirements (i.e.Article 5.4oftheWTO Anti-Dumping
Agreement requirements).G/ADP/AHG/W/31
Page2
Maximum Time from Initiation Activity
Day0 Upto30daysfrom
PDC4Decision whether toInitiate anInvestigation byRevenue Canada
-noinitiation terminates allproceedings inthecase
-atinitiation; Public Notice, Notice toallinterested parties andforeign governments,
pubic Statement ofReasons (SOR); andimporter andexporter Requests for
Information (RFI)
37days -Response toRevenue Canada RFIs due
60-90 days5Revenue Canada Preliminary Determination (PD) ofDumping andInjury or
Termination6
-termination terminates allproceedings intheinvestigation
atPD-public notice andSORissued along withnotice tointerested parties and
foreign governments:
individual exporter letters explain company-specific results ofthe
investigation (i.e.methodologies usedtodetermine normal values andexport
prices andestimated margins ofdumping)
theexporter letter istheprimary means bywhich Revenue Canada advises
individual exporters oftheessential factsunder consideration forpurposes of
thefinaldetermination ofdumping inrespect ofthatindividual exporter
theSORwillexplain theessential factsinageneral, non-confidential manner
-interested parties advised thattheymayrequest disclosure meetings withRevenue
Canada7
-imposition ofprovisional duties and/or posting ofsecurities, where required
60-90 days Initiation ofInjury Inquiry bytheCanadian International Trade Tribunal
(Tribunal)
-Tribunal assumes responsibility overinjury, initiating aninjury inquiry (tobe
completed in120days) upon receipt ofthenotice ofthePD,normally thesame day
-Tribunal injury questionnaires senttodomestic manufacturers, importers and
purchasers
111days 21daysafterPD Response toTribunal injury questionnaires due
4Thisdecision whether toinitiate aninvestigation ornottoinitiate aninvestigation because ofalackofevidence of
injury maybereviewed bytheCanadian International Trade Tribunal (theTribunal) onthequestion ofinjury ifsuchareview
isrequested byaninterested party. Revenue Canada mayalsorefer thequestion ofinjury totheTribunal atthistime. When
such areferral ismade, theTribunal has30days torender advice onwhether theinformation oninjury before Revenue
Canada wassufficient towarrant theinitiation oftheinvestigation. IftheTribunal advises thattheevidence wassufficient,the
investigation iscontinued.
5APDmaynotbemade untilaminimum of60daysfollowing theinitiation ofaninvestigation. The90-day maximum
timelimitisextendable to135days incomplex cases.
6Ifaninvestigation istobeterminated because ofalackofevidence ofinjury, Revenue Canada issues aNotice of
Termination andsuspends theinvestigation. Interested parties mayrefer thetermination within 30days totheCanadian
International Trade Tribunal. Ifsuchareferral ismade, theTribunal advises whether theevidence ofinjury justified the
termination. IftheTribunal determines thattheRevenue Canada decision wasjustified, Revenue Canada terminates the
suspended investigation; ifnot,Revenue Canada resumes theinvestigation. Ifnoreferral within 30days, Revenue Canada
terminates thesuspended investigation.
7Disclosure meetings areheldassoon aspossible afterthepreliminary determination inorder totakeintoaccount for
purposes ofwhether ornottomake afinaldetermination ofdumping anyrepresentations made toRevenue Canada during
thecourse ofthemeeting.G/ADP/AHG/W/31
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Maximum Time from Initiation Activity
140days 50daysafterPD TheCanadian International Trade Tribunal StaffReport, which summarizes facts
relevant totheinvestigation, including factsrelevant toArticle 3injury factors, is
provided toallparties
90-150 days Upto60days
following PDInterested parties permitted tosubmit undertaking offers toRevenue Canada
90-180 days Upto90days
following PDAcceptance ofUndertakings andsuspension ofinvestigation8
-Undertaking offers mayonlybemade upto60daysafterPDandmust beaccepted
prior tothefinaldetermination (FD) ofdumping
-Provisional duties suspended
-thedumping andinjury investigations willbeconcluded, ifrequested
180days Upto90days
following PDFinal Determination ofDumping orTermination byRevenue Canada
-termination (dumping) endsallactivities intheinvestigation, including theTribunal
injury inquiry, andprovisional duties arereturned
-atFD: Public Notice andSORissued along withnotice tointerested parties and
foreign governments andindividual exporter letters explaining company-specific
results oftheinvestigation
180days Approx. 90days
following PD9Tribunal Public andInCamera Hearings oninjury commence10
-Most hearings lastlessthanoneweek -fourdays, onaverage
-Allparties maypresent theirpoints ofview onthequestion ofinjury and
challenge/test information presented byother parties andcontained intheTribunal
StaffReport
210days Upto120
following PDFDofInjury -Noinjury bytheTribunal
-FDofinjury results inimposition ofdefinitive anti-dumping duties
-noinjury results inreturn ofprovisional duties and/or cancellation ofsecurities
posted
225days Upto15days
following Tribunal
findingTribunal Injury/No Injury Statement ofReasons
Approx.
393daysMaximum
sixmonths
following anFDof
injuryFinal assessment ofdefinitive duties forgoods subject toprovisional duties
-importations subject toprovisional duties arereviewed anddefinitive duties assessed
(nottoexceed provisional liability)
B. LIST OFINFORMATION BELIEVED TOBECONFIDENTIAL
There isnoexact definition astowhatconstitutes confidential information. InArticle 6.5of
theAnti-Dumping Agreement. However, Article 6.5does provide general guidance insofar as
information maybeconsidered confidential because:
itsdisclosure would beofsignificant competitive advantage toacompetitor orbecause its
disclosure would haveasignificantly adverse effect upon aperson supplying theinformation
orupon aperson fromwhom thatperson acquired theinformation.
8Unless theexporter offering theundertaking requests thattheinvestigation becontinued.
9Approximately 90days after PD-administrative andnotlegislated.
10Theterminjury asusedhereincludes threat ofinjury andmaterial retardation ascontemplated byfootnote 9ofthe
A-DAgreement.G/ADP/AHG/W/31
Page4
Product-specific information thatcould havesucheffect includes:
- costing data;
- domestic andexport salesinvoices;
- technical information andproduction processes;
- non-published price lists;
- non-public financial statements, etc.
While parties maydesignate information asconfidential, suchadesignation mustbewarranted
given thenature oftheinformation andthepurpose forwhich itisbeing submitted. Information that
isalready inthepublic domain doesnotwarrant confidential treatment. Ineffect, thedetermination
ofwhether ornotspecific information isconfidential ismade onacase-by-case basis.
C. LESSER DUTY
Canada doesnothavealesser dutyrule. Itdoes, however, haveapublic interest provision
which mayallow fortheapplication ofanti-dumping duties below thefullmargin ofdumping ifsuch
adutyisdetermined tobeinthepublic interest.