WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
WT/L/828 
17 November 2011 
 (11-5947) 
General Council 
30 November 2011 Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
 
 
CANADIAN TARIFF TREATMENT FOR COMMONWEALTH 
CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES 
 
2011 Report of the Government of Canada on the 
Trade-Related Provisions of CARIBCAN 
   The following communication, dated 16 November 2011, is being circulated at the request of 
the Delegation of Canada. 
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Introduction 
 
 CARIBCAN is an economic and trade development assistance program for the 
Commonwealth Caribbean countries and territories esta blished as a result of a commitment by Canada 
at the Commonwealth Heads of Governme nt meeting in Nassau in October 1985. 
  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 comm odities originating in Commonwealth Caribbean 
countries.   On 28 November 1986, a decision by the Contracting Parties to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) waived un til 15 June 1998, the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 1 of the 
General Agreement, "only to the extent necessary to permit the Government of Canada to provide 
duty-free treatment to eligible imports of Comm onwealth 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 party." (L/ 6102).  On 15 December 2006 the WTO extended the 
CARIBCAN waiver until 31 December 2011 (WT/L/ 677).  The conditions associated with the 
CARIBCAN waiver remain unchanged. 
  This report is being made in accordance with paragraph 3 of the WTO waiver of 
15 December 2006 and Article IX of the WTO Agreement. 
 
Country Coverage  
 The Customs Tariff  lists 18 countries or dependent territori es which are eligible to receive the 
duty-free benefits accorded under CARIBCAN:  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 additions or deletions from this list have 
occurred since CARIBCAN was enacted on 15 June 1986.  WT/L/828 
Page 2  
 
  Product Coverage  
 
 There have been no amendments to CARIBCAN product coverage since the changes made in 
February 1998.   
 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 . 
 
Rules of Origin  
 
 The rules of origin for the purposes of the Commonwealth Caribbean Countries Tariff 
(CCCT) treatment are set out in regulations  enacted pursuant to Section 24 of the Customs Tariff . 
 
 To qualify for the duty-free treatment accorded  to Commonwealth Caribbean countries, at 
least sixty per cent of the ex-factory price of th e 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 Certif icate 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.  
Trade under CARIBCAN  
 
 Canada-CARIBCAN trade statistics are annexed in a series of tabl es to this report and include 
2010 trade data.  In general, these trade statistics indicate that:   - In 2010, 98 per cent of total Cana dian imports from CARIBCAN beneficiaries 
entered Canada free of duty.  As show n in Annex III, $698 million of this trade 
entered under MFN free rates while $6.8 million entered duty-free under General 
Preferential Tariff (GPT).  $274 million of th is trade entered under the preferential 
CARIBCAN tariff (CCCT).  Annex IV show s the top twenty-five commodity imports 
benefiting from the CARIBCAN preference.   
 
- Total Canada-CARIBCAN trade (exports plus imports) was CDN $1.8 billion in 
2010.  The value of Canadian imports fro m the region has risen from $540 million in 
2000 to $995 million in 2010.  The valu e of Canadian exports to CARIBCAN 
countries has risen from $431 million in  2000 to $788 million in 2010. 
 
Statistical Annexes:  
 
Annex I:  Total Imports form CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 2000 - 2010  Annex II:  Total Canadian exports to  CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 2000 - 2010 
 
Annex III:  2010 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 2010  
   WT/L/828
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Total Canadian Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 2000 – 2010                                                                                                                                      Annex I 
(thousands of Canadian dollars) Country 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
Anguilla 9 10 13 8 27 145 153 149 211 308 320 
Antigua - Barbuda 10,380 340 954 748 579 558 407 564 5,468 446 422 
Bahamas 14,003 13,785 16,941 48,149 55,652 56,816 23,274 63,303 73,519 30,995 55,121 
Barbados 7,375 9,118 7,543 6,282 8,508 7,368 13,615 8,117 8,498 8,663 9,680 
Belize 9,868 3,739 6,381 4,501 8,325 9,651 9,558 10,959 10,842 7,247 6,177 
Bermuda 17,614 2,369 3,803 1,655 12,511 17,738 16,783 3,192 1,910 10,968 1,389 
British Virgin Islands 1,376 1,324 501 1,146 1,785 2,699 4,120 1,994 13,246 720 622 
Cayman Islands 522 27,571 3,818 2,242 1,108 441 280 314 193 645 304 
Dominica 1,698 775 944 358 313 775 253 398 337 390 145 
Grenada 1,523 1,037 1,476 1,082 1,259 944 957 701 877 509 601 
Guyana 197,800 209,474 225,368 201,099 197,704 147,206 142,093 161,534 225,084 300,318 290,736 
Jamaica 197,727 324,783 270,927 264,871 346,608 393,028 418,261 370,906 327,580 164,764 161,934 
Montserrat 94 113 267 453 238 104 542 222 139 69 327 
St. Christopher (Kitts) and 
Nevis 4,399 6,121 7,458 8,722 8,185 7,868 8,798 4,270 5,236 7,033 8,092 
St. Lucia 1,413 237 411 266 366 512 164 313 155 2,289 203 
St. Vincent and the 
Grenadines 404 310 619 124 123 125 297 568 136 219 162 
Trinidad & Tobago 72,327 195,141 166,704 232,921 156,281 237,073 307,597 413,473 341,400 314,955 459,179 
Turks & Caicos Islands 1,647 1,007 2,347 7,980 6,871 7,525 6,917 5,146 1,933 299 112 
Total: 540,178 797,254 716,475 782,607 806,443 890,576 954,069 1,046,123 1,016,764 850,837 995,526 
Source :  Statistics Canada. 
Notes:  A dash (-) indicates that an amount is nil or  negligible.   
 
  
  WT/L/828 
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Total Canadian Exports to CARIBCAN Beneficiaries 2000-2010                                                                                                                                                  Annex II 
(thousands of Canadian dollars) Country 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
Anguilla 651 2,802 1,301 802 1,215 1,559 1,564 1,386 2,590 1,833 865 
Antigua - Barbuda 10,727 10,434 7,970 17,273 15,534 14,968 68, 527 17,174 21,194 20,095 19,211 
Bahamas 26,018 27,706 33,245 28,883 30,392 59,949 51,275 91,210 226,436 146,232 150,620 
Barbados 33,783 29,104 33,629 41,979 44,769 55,729 59, 411 55,216 45,392 55,448 36,675 
Belize 2,598 3,505 5,079 5,271 5,425 6,347 8,693 6,395 6,594 5,544 5,536 
Bermuda 34,540 34,715 107,599 42,945 59,301 66,405 68 ,131 59,035 61,823 56,630 37,647 
British Virgin Islands 60,187 2,240 2,167 2,129 2,637 2,786 3,672 2,057 8,694 3,271 22,175 
Cayman Islands 8,286 63,858 6,807 7,671 10,738 22,374 33,523 55,092 14,019 6,403 6,224 
Dominica 4,436 2,671 2,614 7,668 4,967 4,585 5,456 4,531 5,619 4,386 4,447 
Grenada 4,023 3,142 4,450 5,868 6,056 6,956 6,550 5,928 5,653 5,535 5,092 
Guyana 8,073 8,068 10,373 9,536 10,603 15,330 22, 968 25,710 20,318 27,705 28,076 
Jamaica 99,815 121,933 158,212 124,650 163,755 144,312 142,636 190,138 187,298 117,954 125,076 
Montserrat 289 214 291 300 434 510 364 252 383 272 226 
St. Christopher (Kitts) and Nevis 9,633 16,147 27,036 12,059 3,982 5,380 7,101 8,753 7,930 6,242 6,706 
St. Lucia 9,683 7,375 7,804 7,423 8,059 7,020 11,494 15,083 12,309 10,040 35,745 
St. Vincent and the Grenadines 4,906 3,941 3,743 5,874 5,130 6,978 9,830 9,767 7,688 11,583 10,788 
Trinidad & Tobago 110,822 156,222 136,808 125,507 121,475 141,525 178,797 210,182 262,673 251,109 289,026 
Turks & Caicos Islands 2,341 2,366 2,933 10,372 7,182 8,258 12,387 11,556 7,044 6,181 4,290 
Total: 430,811 496,443 552,061 456,210 501,654 570,971 692,379 769,465 903,657 736,463 788,425 
Source :  Statistics Canada. 
Notes:  A dash (-) indicates that an amount is nil or negl igible.  Includes Canadian domestic exports only. 
 
 
  WT/L/828 
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Annex III (i) 
       Duty Free 2010 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 320,166 20,468 - - 20,468 6% 
Antigua and 
Barbuda 422,475 95,741 - - 95,741 23% 
Bahamas 55,121,006 53,082,823 60,434 540,167 53,683,424 97% 
Barbados 9,680,487 701,677 3,381,190 4,847,124 8,929,991 92% 
Belize 6,176,823 4,774,251 161,945 366,077 5,302,273 86% 
Bermuda 1,388,804 465,646 - 964 466,610 34% 
Br. Virgin Is. 622,083 328,522 177,235 27,513 533,270 86% 
Cayman Islands 304,409 228,031 - 3,968 231,999 76% 
Dominica 145,238 102,771 - - 102,771 71% 
Grenada 601,419 353,644 24,713 516 598,873 100% 
Guyana 290,735,743 283,932,462 2,589,623 2,875,464 289,397,549 100% 
Jamaica 161,933,793 137,140,865 273,598 17,274,275 154,688,738 96% 
Montserrat 327,194 291,268 - - 291,268 89% 
St. Christopher 
(Kitts) and Nevis 8,092,369 7,814,599 - 76,088 7,890,687 98% 
Saint Lucia 203,676 185,196   1,865 187,061 92% 
Saint Vincent/Gren. 161,792 87,350 - 63,905 151,255 93% 
Trinidad and 
Tobago 459,179,205 208,074,659 123,133 247,533,452 455,731,244 99% 
Turks/Caicos Is. 112,127 108,961 - - 108,961 97% 
Total 995,528,809 697,788,934 6,791,871 273,611,378 978,412,183 98% 
Source : Statistics Canada. 
Notes:  A dash (-) indicates that an amount is nil or  negligible.   
 
 
 WT/L/828 
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Annex III (ii)
Dutiable 2010 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 320,166 299,698 - - 299,698 94% 
Antigua and Barbuda 422,475 326,734 - - 326,734 77% 
Bahamas 55,121,006 1,437,582 - - 1,437,534 3% 
Barbados 9,680,487 685,874 64,622 - 750,496 8% 
Belize 6,176,823 313,550 561,000 - 874,550 14% 
Bermuda 1,388,804 922,194 - - 922,194 66% 
Br. Virgin Is. 622,083 88,813 - - 88,813 14% 
Cayman Islands 304,409 72,410 - - 72,410 24% 
Dominica 145,238 41,291 1,176 - 42,467 29% 
Grenada 601,419 2,546 - - 2,546 0% 
Guyana 290,735,743 1,189,172 149,022 - 1,338,194 0% 
Jamaica 161,933,793 7,239,640 5,595 - 7,245,235 4% 
Montserrat 327,194 35,926 - - 35,926 11% 
St. Christopher 
(Kitts) and Nevis 8,092,369 201,682 - - 201,682 2% 
Saint Lucia 203,676 16,615 - - 16,615 8% 
Saint Vincent/Gren. 161,792 10,537 - - 10,537 7% 
Trinidad and Tobago 459,179,205 3,447,961   - 3,447,961 1% 
Turks/Caicos Is. 112,127 3,166 - - 3,166 3% 
Total 995,528,809 16,335,391 781,415 0 17,116,758 2% 
Source : Statistics Canada. 
Notes:  A dash (-) indicates that an amount is nil or  negligible.   
 
  WT/L/828 
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Annex IV
Top 25 Merchandise Imports from CARIBCAN Beneficiaries which entered Canada Under 
CARIBCAN Duty-Free Tariff Treatment (CCCT) in 2010 
(in Canadian Dollars) 
HS 
Tariff Description Imports under 
CARIBCAN 
Treatment 
(CCCT) 
27111100 Liquefied natural gas 125,045,745 
29051100 Methanol (methyl alcohol) 120,103,613 
22084010 Rum 10,687,716 
22071010 Undenatured ethyl alcohol >= 80% vol for use in the manufacture of 
spirituous or alcoholic beverages 4,521,482 
21039020 Mixed condiments and mixed seasonings 1,281,804 
73269090 Other [articles of iron or steel] 1,275,456 
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 fl avoured), bread fruit, carambolas, 
chayotes, cherimoyas (Jam aica apples)…. 1,190,744 
20059990 Other [Other vegetables and mixtures of vegetables] 826,872 
03061100 Rock lobster and other sea crawfish ( Palinurus spp ., Panulirus spp. , 
Jasus spp. ) 821,534 
07149090 Other [Arrowroot, salep, Jerusalem artichokes and similar roots and 
tubers with high starch or inulin  content, fresh, chilled or dried, 
whether or not sliced or in the form of pellets; sago pith] 747,854 
22021000 Waters, including mineral waters and aerated waters, containing added 
sugar or other sweetening matter or flavoured 705,182 
19059049 Other biscuits [Containing less than 25% by weight of wheat] 622,358 
83061090 Other [Bells, gones and the like, other than church bells] 560,924 
85369091 Other: Junction boxes; 
Receptacle boxes of metal 499,971 
22029090 Other [nectars] 475,736 
21039090 Other [sauces] 450,998 
19053122 Sweet biscuits containing 25% or more by weight of wheat, in 
packages of a weight not exceeding 1.36 kg each, over access commitment 414,421 
19059039 Other [bread] 280,296 
42031000 Articles of apparel of leather or of composition leather 236,086 
22030000 Beer made from malt 233,296 
04063010 Processed cheese, not grated or powdered, within access commitment 194,572 
22087000 Liqueurs and cordials 140,866 
22042110 Wine, of an alcoholic strength by volume not exceeding 13.7% 137,527 
07142000 Sweet potatoes 130,053 
19053129 Other [biscuits valued at 44¢/kg or more] 121,993 
Source : Statistics Canada import data. 
 
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