WT/L/1091  
 
9 July 2020  
(20-4735) Page: 1/7 
General Council  
22-23 July 2020  Original: English/French  
 
 
CANADIAN TARIFF TREA TMENT FOR COMMONWEAL TH CARIBBEAN COUNTRI ES 
2020 REPORT OF THE G OVERNMENT OF CANADA ON THE  
TRADE -RELATED PROVIS IONS OF CARIBCAN  
The following communication, dated 7 July 2020, is being circulated at the request of the delegation 
of Canada.  
 
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1  INTRODUCTION  
1.1.  CARIBCAN is an economic and trade development assistance program for the Commonwealth 
Caribbean countries and territories established as a result of a commitment by Canada at the 
Commonwealth Heads of G overnment meeting in Nassau in October 1985.  
1.2.  The objectives of CARIBCAN are to enhance Commonwealth Caribbean trade and export 
earnings, improve the trade and economic development prospects of the region, promote new 
investment opportunities, and encourage  enhanced economic integration and co -operation.  The 
main feature of CARIBCAN is the unilateral extension by Canada, beginning on 15 June 1986, of 
duty-free access to the Canadian market for most commodities originating in Commonwealth 
Caribbean countries.  
1.3.  On 28 November 1986, a decision by the Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on 
Tariffs and Trade (GATT) waived until 15 June 1998, the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 1 of the 
General Agreement, "only to the extent necessary to permit the Gov ernment of Canada to provide 
duty-free treatment to eligible imports of Commonwealth Caribbean countries benefiting from the 
provisions of CARIBCAN, without being required to extend the same duty -free treatment to like 
products of any other contracting par ty." (L/6102).  On 28 July 2015 the WTO extended the 
CARIBCAN waiver (WT/L/958) until 31 December 2023.  The conditions associated with the 
CARIBCAN waiver remain unchanged.  
1.4.  This report is being made in accordance with paragraph 3 of the WTO waiver of 28 Jul y 2015 
and Article IX of the WTO Agreement.  
2  COUNTRY COVERAGE  
2.1.  The Customs Tariff  lists 18 countries or dependent territories which are eligible to receive the 
duty-free benefits accorded under CARIBCAN, namely:  Anguilla, Antigua -Barbuda, Bahamas, 
Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, 
Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.  No cou ntry or territory additions 
or deletions from this list have occurred since CARIBCAN was enacted on 15 June 1986.  
3  PRODUCT COVERAGE  
3.1.  There have been no amendments to CARIBCAN product coverage since the changes made in 
February 1998.  WT/L/1091  
 
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3.2.  Today, product exclusions from the duty -free provisions of CARIBCAN are:  
- Goods of HS Chapters 50 to 65 inclusive;  
- Goods covered by tariff items with "over access commitment " rates of duty established in 
the "tariffication " process . 
4  RULES OF ORIGIN  
4.1.  The rules of origin for the purposes of the Commonwealth Caribbean Countries Tariff (CCCT) 
treatment are set out in regulations enacted pursuant to Section 16 of the Customs Tariff . 
4.2.  To qualify for the duty -free treatment accorded to Commonwealth Caribbean countries, at least 
sixty per cent of the ex -factory price of the goods as packed for shipment to Canada must originate 
in one or more beneficiary countries or Canada.  The sixty per cent qualifying content may be 
cumulated from various CARIBCAN beneficiary  countries or Canada.  The goods must be finished in 
the beneficiary country in the form in which they are imported into Canada.  Pursuant to the Proof of 
Origin Regulations, either a duly completed Certificate of Origin, Form A, or a written statement of 
origin signed by the exporter, must be presented to Customs at the time of release, accounting or 
refund.  
5  TRADE UNDER CARIBCAN  
5.1.  Canada -CARIBCAN trade statistics are annexed in a series of tables to this report and include 
2019 trade data.  In general, these tr ade statistics indicate that:  
- In 2019, 97 per cent of total Canadian imports from CARIBCAN beneficiaries entered 
Canada free of duty.  As shown in Annex III, just over $873 million of this trade entered 
under MFN free rates while $4.5 million entered duty -free under General Preferential Tariff 
(GPT).  $36.2 million of this trade entered under the preferential CARIBCAN tariff (CCCT).  
Annex IV shows the top twenty -five commodity imports benefiting from the CARIBCAN 
preference.   
- Total Canada -CARIBCAN trade (expo rts plus imports) was CAN $1.8 billion in 2019.  The 
value of Canadian imports from the region has risen from $851 million in 2009 to 
$939 million in 2019.  The value of Canadian exports to CARIBCAN countries has increased 
from $736 million in 2009 to $939 m illion in 2019.  
6  STATISTICAL ANNEXES  
Annex I:   Total Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 2009 - 2019 
 
Annex II:   Total Canadian exports to CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 2009 - 2019 
 
Annex III:   2019 Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries by Tariff Treatment  
 
Annex IV : Top 25 Merchandise Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries which entered Canada 
under the CARIBCAN Duty -Free Tariff Treatment (CCCT) in 2019  
 
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  WT/L/1091  
 
- 3 - ANNEX I  
Total Canadian Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 2009 – 2019  
(thousands of Canadian dollars)  
Country  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  
Anguilla  308 320 271 272 606 360 226 29 105 59 333 
Antigua and Barbuda  446 422 414 1,741  625 448 466 216 282 184 425 
Bahamas  30,995  55,121  21,881  146,573  44,069  92,051  35,720  13,641  12,901  4,834  19,301  
Barbados  8,663  9,680  6,921  9,578  18,851  12,942  11,557  11,888  12,173  14,212  14,844  
Belize  7,247  6,177  7,516  3,221  2,579  1,777  3,786  2,080  1,904  1,941  1,361  
Bermuda  10,968  1,389  979 29,015  17,709  31,013  35,319  38,650  30,160  1,133  449 
British Virgin Islands  720 622 821 1,102  28,258  2,529  1,520  938 2,868  1,392  1,633  
Cayman Islands  645 304 778 415 210 215 662 2,102  2,299  6,373  1,830  
Dominica  390 145 289 264 1,153  356 728 231 397 187 2,191  
Grenada  509 601 1,718  2,268  1,904  2,018  2,211  1,577  819 1,539  849 
Guyana  300,318  290,736  394,657  453,997  486,488  335,752  271,554  666,959  661,486  573,917  505,664  
Jamaica  164,764  161,934  275,412  101,951  205,772  264,949  241,310  204,888  191,258  141,791  113,527  
Montserrat  69 327 291 197 36 333 233 59 164 211 258 
St. Christopher (Kitts) and 
Nevis  7,033  8,092  9,166  9,638  8,784  6,249  4,072  2,971  3,503  2,710  3,179  
St. Lucia  2,289  203 273 268 349 423 509 692 688 265 667 
St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines  219 162 259 170 173 126 110 143 71 1,888  73 
Trinidad and Tobago  314,955  459,179  388,961  246,424  188,761  557,843  342,388  189,494  176,076  334,882  271,981  
Turks and Caicos Islands  299 112 119 186 254 416 843 148 107 36 118 
Total:  850,837  995,526  1,110,726  1,007,280  1,006,581  1,309,800  953,214  1,136,706  1,097,261  1,087,554  938,683  
Source:  Statistics Canada.  
 
   
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ANNEX II  
Total Canadian Exports to CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 2009 -2019  
(thousands of Canadian dollars)  
Country  2009  2010  2011  2012  2013  2014  2015  2016  2017  2018  2019  
Anguilla  1,833  865 2,318  607 850 1,007  1,271  1,612  1,873  2,868  1,461  
Antigua and Barbuda  20,095  19,211  9,590  18,273  15,172  10,112  9,990  8,495  8,328  12,318  16,928  
Bahamas  146,232  150,620  127,275  486,780  189,761  242,015  68,832  114,895  214,579  395,061  258,733  
Barbados  55,448  36,675  44,248  58,853  147,317  187,559  66,607  37,412  33,649  33,119  34,974  
Belize  5,544  5,536  4,976  7,464  7,295  19,133  9,258  10,597  14,799  10,135  9,382  
Bermuda  56,630  37,647  73,760  22,122  33,658  29,914  36,408  67,260  44,494  41,076  37,343  
British Virgin Islands  3,271  22,175  48,168  1,619  2,536  28,628  12,399  3,531  3,774  3,976  2,478  
Cayman Islands  6,403  6,224  6,993  8,189  58,645  8,136  8,345  9,674  23,332  22,732  27,484  
Dominica  4,386  4,447  3,748  3,864  4,595  6,157  4,551  3,452  5,717  8,288  5,945  
Grenada  5,535  5,092  4,423  5,288  4,537  5,648  5,786  7,608  8,664  6,168  90,522  
Guyana  27,705  28,076  35,385  25,201  17,902  25,081  23,849  34,114  26,056  28,800  35,729  
Jamaica  117,954  125,076  106,081  129,416  114,177  111,919  104,329  101,674  112,932  122,808  126,686  
Montserrat  272 226 325 380 264 164 232 256 503 155 82 
St. Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis  6,242  6,706  5,678  6,524  7,355  9,116  6,756  6,056  8,474  6,017  7,742  
St. Lucia  10,040  35,745  8,476  9,183  10,247  11,202  9,925  9,561  8,303  7,784  7,927  
St. Vincent and the Grenadines  11,583  10,788  6,742  6,538  8,760  13,045  9,530  6,201  4,964  3,953  3,900  
Trinidad and Tobago  251,109  289,026  332,950  319,383  333,293  307,597  293,762  205,405  292,312  388,882  267,607  
Turks and Caicos Islands  6,181  4,290  1,814  2,076  1,738  2,574  3,674  2,697  4,481  3,723  3,763  
Total:  736,463  788,425  822,950  1,111,760  958,102  1,019,007  675,504  630,500  817,234  1,097,863  938,686  
Source:  Statistics Canada.  
Note:  Includes Canadian domestic exports only.  
 
   
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ANNEX III ( i) 
Duty Free  2019 Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries by Tariff Treatment  
(in Canadian dollars)  
Country  Total Imports  MFN Free  GPT Free  Caribcan (CCCT) 
Free Total Free  Total Free as % 
of Total Imports  
Anguilla  332,692  271,242  0 0 271,242  82% 
Antigua and Barbuda  425,380  156,585  0 0 156,585  37% 
Bahamas  19,300,855  17,695,032  0 0 17,695,032  92% 
Barbados  14,844,242  2,875,133  0 6,469,937  9,345,070  63% 
Belize  1,360,892  786,889  19,844  319,607  1,126,340  83% 
Bermuda  448,751  189,321  0 105,808  295,129  66% 
British Virgin Islands  1,632,824  1,603,838  0 50 1,603,888  98% 
Cayman Islands  1,830,210  1,827,684  0 107 1,827,791  100%  
Dominica  2,190,919  2,140,493  0 2,988  2,143,481  98% 
Grenada  849,366  620,966  0 0 620,966  73% 
Guyana  505,663,516  496,081,655  4,570,798  3,319,982  503,972,435  100%  
Jamaica  113,527,426  82,534,882  0 22,305,282  104,840,164  92% 
Montserrat  258,408  252,985  0 0 252,985  98% 
St. Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis  3,179,105  2,779,929  0 0 2,779,929  87% 
Saint Lucia  667,107  440,497  0 125,272  565,769  85% 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  72,890  54,809  0 120 54,929  75% 
Trinidad and Tobago  271,980,916  262,693,687  0 3,644,975  266,338,662  98% 
Turks and Caicos Islands  118,396  112,990  0 0 112,990  95% 
Total  938,683,895  873,118,617  4,590,64 2 36,294,128  914,003,387  97%  
Source:  Statistics Canada.  
 
   
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ANNEX III ( ii) 
Dutiable  2019 imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries by Tariff Treatment  
(in Canadian dollars)  
Country  Total Imports  MFN Dutiable  GPT Dutiable  Caribcan Dutiable  Total Dutiable  Total Dutiable as 
% of Total 
Imports  
Anguilla  332,692  61,450  0 0 61,450  18% 
Antigua and Barbuda  425,380  268,795  0 0 268,795  63% 
Bahamas  19,300,855  1,605,823  0 0 1,605,823  8% 
Barbados  14,844,242  5,499,165  0 7 5,499,172  37% 
Belize  1,360,892  172,072  0 62,480  234,552  17% 
Bermuda  448,751  153,622  0 0 153,622  34% 
British Virgin Islands  1,632,824  28,936  0 0 28,936  2% 
Cayman Islands  1,830,210  2,419  0 0 2,419  0% 
Dominica  2,190,919  47,438  0 0 47,438  2% 
Grenada  849,366  228,400  0 0 228,400  27% 
Guyana  505,663,516  1,609,123  81,958  0 1,691,081  0% 
Jamaica  113,527,426  8,686,838  0 424 8,687,262  8% 
Montserrat  258,408  5,423  0 0 5,423  2% 
St. Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis  3,179,105  399,176  0 0 399,176  13% 
Saint Lucia  667,107  101,338  0 0 101,338  15% 
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines  72,890  17,961  0 0 17,961  25% 
Trinidad and Tobago  271,980,916  5,632,999  0 9,255  5,642,254  2% 
Turks and Caicos Islands  118,396  5,406  0 0 5,406  5% 
Total  938,683,895  24,526,384  81,958  72,166  24,680,508  3% 
Source: Statistics Canada.  
 
 
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  ANNEX IV  
Top 25 Merchandise Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries which entered Canada Under 
CARIBCAN Duty -Free Tariff Treatment (CCCT) in 2019  
(in Canadian Dollars)  
HS Tariff  Description  Imports 
under 
CARIBCAN 
Treatment 
(CCCT)   
22084010  Rum 8,059,488  
22071000  Undenatured ethyl alcohol >= 80% vol for use in the manufacture of spirituous or 
alcoholic beverages  5,838,209  
21039020  Mixed condiments and mixed seasonings  3,543,427  
20089930  Akalas, akees, anchovy pears, apple -pears, avocados, bananas, banana chips (thin 
banana slices fried or otherwise prepared whether or not salted, sweetened or 
otherwise flavoured), bread fruit, carambolas, chayotes, cherimoyas (Jamaica 
apples)….  2,799,154  
07143000  Yams ( Dioscorea spp. ) 2,743,317  
21039090  Other [sauces]  1,981,794  
22029090  Other [nectars]  1,656,693  
19059039  Other [bread]  1,556,612  
19053192  Sweet biscuits containing 25% or more by weight of wheat, in packages of a weight 
not exceeding 1.36 kg each, over access commitment  777,941  
22021000  Waters, including mineral waters and aerated waters, containing added sugar or 
other sweetening matter or flavoured  768,422  
19059043  Other biscuits:  Containing 25% or more by weight of wheat, in packages of a 
weight not exceeding 1.36 kg each, over access commitment  692,769  
12119010  Herbal "tea" in bags for individual servings  351,480  
07142000  Sweet potatoes  318,158  
22029939  Other [beverages containing milk]  293,924  
19059049  Other biscuits [Containing less than 25% by weight of wheat]  278,404  
04063010  Processed cheese, not grated or powdered  271,416  
21032090  Other [tomato sauces]  246,179  
19053191  Other sweet biscuits [Containing 25% or more by weight of wheat]  237,712  
09109900  Other spices  227,972  
20059990  Other [Other vegetables and mixtures of vegetables]  219,728  
17049090  Other [sugar confectionary, not containing cocoa]  217,726  
19053122  Other sweet biscuits [Containing 25% or more by weight of wheat, in packages of 
a weight not exceeding 1.36 kg each]  192,247  
19021929  Other [pasta, containing flour and water only]  165,431  
21069029  Other [Syrups derived from cane or beet sugar, containing added colouring matter; 
Food concentrates and fruit syrups for use in beverages or other food preparations]  152,931  
22042110  Wine, of an alcoholic strength by volume not exceeding 13.7% vol  149,667  
Source:  Statistics Canada import data.  
 
 
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