Sixteen days until Canada’s counter-tariffs take effect. The item list is not public yet, but the preparation that pays off does not depend on it. This is the factual prep work importers of US goods are doing now.
- Pull your HS classifications. Surtax lists are written at the tariff-item level; your commercial invoices or broker records show where your goods sit.
- Confirm which goods are US-origin. Surtaxes follow the country-of-origin marking rules, not the shipping route — goods bought from a US distributor but made elsewhere may fall outside the net, and vice versa.
- Look at order and accounting timing. Liability generally attaches when goods are accounted for; shipments straddling the effective date deserve attention.
- Check your CARM standing. Registration, delegated access, and financial security sized to your volume — surtaxes will flow through your Statement of Account, and the penalty-waiver era ended in January.
- Map the relief routes before you need them. Chapter 98/99 automatic waivers, the two-year remission window, four-year drawback, and the duties-relief program each fit different situations.
- Watch for the Order in Council. The customs notice is the authoritative list — our checker converts to a searchable version the day it publishes, and the Monday brief emails the moment it drops.
Sources: CBSA customs notices and CARM program pages; Trade Commissioner Service tariff FAQ; Department of Finance Canada remission framework.
TariffCleared is an independent publisher. Nothing on this site is legal, customs, or financial advice. Confirm against the linked primary sources or consult a licensed professional.