Order Amending the Import Control List (2026-2): SOR/2026-156

Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 160, Number 13

Registration
SOR/2026-156 June 22, 2026

EXPORT AND IMPORT PERMITS ACT

P.C. 2026-647 June 22, 2026

Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, makes the annexed Order Amending the Import Control List (2026-2) under section 6footnote a of the Export and Import Permits Act footnote b.

Order Amending the Import Control List (2026-2)

Amendment

1 Items 114 to 116 of the Import Control List footnote 1 are replaced by the following:

114 Carcasses and half-carcasses of bovine animals, fresh, chilled or frozen, that do not originate in Chile, a CUSMA country or an EU country or other CETA beneficiary and are classified under tariff item No. 0201.10.10, 0201.10.20, 0202.10.10 or 0202.10.20 in the List of Tariff Provisions set out in the schedule to the Customs Tariff.

115 Cuts of meat of bovine animals, fresh, chilled or frozen, with bone in, that do not originate in Chile, a CUSMA country or an EU country or other CETA beneficiary and are classified under tariff item No. 0201.20.10, 0201.20.20, 0202.20.10 or 0202.20.20 in the List of Tariff Provisions set out in the schedule to the Customs Tariff.

116 Boneless meat of bovine animals, fresh, chilled or frozen, that does not originate in Chile, a CUSMA country or an EU country or other CETA beneficiary and is classified under tariff item No. 0201.30.10, 0201.30.20, 0202.30.10 or 0202.30.20 in the List of Tariff Provisions set out in the schedule to the Customs Tariff.

Coming into Force

2 This Order comes into force on the day on which An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, chapter 7 of the Statutes of Canada, 2026, comes into force, but if it is registered after that day, it comes into force on the day on which it is registered.

REGULATORY IMPACT ANALYSIS STATEMENT

(This statement is not part of the orders.)

Issues

An Act to implement the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (Bill C-13) received royal assent on May 6, 2026. While Bill C-13 establishes the legal framework to implement the outcomes of the United Kingdom’s (UK) accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) into domestic law, regulatory amendments are required to implement a commitment to establish a UK-specific beef and veal tariff rate quota (TRQ), as negotiated under the Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (the “Accession Protocol”).

On July 16, 2023, CPTPP Parties and the UK signed the UK’s Accession Protocol. The UK became a Party to the CPTPP on December 15, 2024, following the ratification of the UK’s Accession Protocol by the UK, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. The Accession Protocol entered into force for Australia on December 24, 2024, and is expected to enter into force for Mexico on June 22, 2026. As a result of the UK’s accession negotiations, Canada and the UK both agreed to establish permanent TRQs for beef and veal set at a maximum of 13 000 metric tonnes (MT) upon full implementation, which represents an increase in market access for Canadian beef exporters. In order to establish the negotiated TRQ and administer an import licensing system for beef and veal, Canada must make amendments to the Import Control List (ICL), the General Import Permit No. 100 — Eligible Agriculture Goods (GIP 100) and General Import Permit No. 13 — Beef and Veal for Personal Use (GIP 13).

As a Party to the CPTPP and a signatory to the UK’s Accession Protocol, Canada committed to implementing the Accession Protocol and any associated commitments, in good faith. Reinstating permit requirements will therefore ensure that Canada has the legal authority to grant permits for the import of UK beef and veal under the CPTPP, thereby enabling Canada to operationalize the TRQ, deliver on its negotiated commitment to an important trading partner, and ensure Canada remains compliant with its CPTPP obligations. Failure to do so would undermine Canada’s commitment to trade diversification and its reputation as a trusted trading partner.

Background

The CPTPP is a free trade agreement in force between Canada and 10 other countries in the Indo-Pacific region: Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The CPTPP entered into force for Canada on December 30, 2018. It covers virtually all sectors and aspects of trade between Canada and CPTPP Parties, reducing trade barriers and facilitating trade to key markets in Asia and Latin America. It includes chapters on national treatment and market access for goods; rules of origin and origin procedures; customs administration and trade facilitation; trade remedies; sanitary and phytosanitary measures; technical barriers to trade; investment; cross-border trade in services; financial services; temporary entry; telecommunications; electronic commerce; government procurement; competition policy; state-owned enterprises and designated monopolies; intellectual property; labour; environment; small and medium-sized enterprises; as well as chapters dedicated to trade-related technical cooperation and institutional provisions, including those related to transparency, regulatory coherence, economic development, and dispute settlement. The CPTPP also includes an accession process that provides for further expansion of the Agreement’s membership. Any economy that can meet the high-standard rules and ambitious market access commitments of the Agreement can seek to join.

Regarding beef and veal in particular, imports into Canada of fresh, chilled or frozen beef and veal originating from CPTPP Parties are fully duty-free — within or in excess of import quotas — as of January 1, 2023. The rules of origin for beef under CPTPP include, among other things, products produced by slaughtering a live animal that was imported from elsewhere.

The UK applied to accede to the CPTPP in February 2021. Negotiations on the UK’s Accession Protocol concluded in March 2023, and CPTPP Parties signed the Accession Protocol in July 2023. The UK became a Party to the CPTPP on December 15, 2024, following the ratification of the UK’s Accession Protocol by the UK and eight CPTPP Parties.

On June 15, 2025, Prime Minister Carney committed, during a visit by UK Prime Minister Starmer, to introduce legislation in the fall of 2025 to support Canada’s ratification of the UK’s accession to the CPTPP. Therefore, the Accession Protocol was tabled in the House of Commons on September 18, 2025, and Bill C-13 was introduced in the House of Commons on October 21, 2025. Bill C-13 received royal assent on May 6, 2026. In essence, Bill C-13 updates Canadian legislation to give domestic legal effect to the UK’s accession to the CPTPP.

In addition to these legislative changes, regulatory amendments are needed to operationalize the obligations Canada made in the beef and veal sector.

Canada-UK Trade Continuity Agreement

The CPTPP is not the only free trade agreement that Canada has with the UK. Following the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU), Canada and the UK agreed to substantially replicate the existing commitments under the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) by establishing the Canada-UK Trade Continuity Agreement (CUKTCA) to ensure that businesses could continue to benefit from the advantages the CETA provides. As with the CETA, the CUKTCA aims to facilitate free trade between Canada and the UK by eliminating tariffs, removing market access barriers, and reducing costs associated with doing trade within each other’s markets.

Under the CUKTCA, Canada has 2 708 MT of duty-free tariff rate quota (TRQ) access for fresh beef and 1 161 MT of duty-free TRQ access for frozen beef, while the UK has duty-free quota-free access for beef exports to Canada. However, it should be noted that, to be eligible for duty-free preferential access under the CUKTCA, beef imported to Canada must be “wholly obtained” from the UK, meaning that the animal must be born, raised, and slaughtered all within the UK.

The duty-free, quota-free access granted through the CUKTCA means that Canadian importers of UK beef and veal are currently exempted from import controls in the ICL, the GIP 100 and GIP 13.

Objective

The objectives of the regulatory amendments are to fulfill Canada’s market-access commitments negotiated with the UK as part of the UK’s accession to the CPTPP; to reinforce Canada’s broader trade relationship with the UK; and to deliver a reciprocal outcome for the Canadian beef and veal sector under the CPTPP.

Description

The regulatory proposal (1) amends the ICL (items 114 to 116) and (2) amends the schedules of GIP 100 (items 21 to 23) and GIP 13 (items 1 to 2), ultimately removing references exempting UK-origin beef and veal from import permit requirements.

The amendments to the ICL are made by the Governor in Council, and the amendments to the schedules of GIP 100 and GIP 13 are made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Eliminating these exemptions will reinstate import permit requirements for UK beef and veal, thereby classifying these products as controlled goods under the Export and Import Permits Act (EIPA). This change will restore the Minister’s legal authority to issue shipment-specific import permits and enable Global Affairs Canada (GAC) to administer the new UK-specific CPTPP TRQ for beef and veal.

Regulatory development

Consultation

Stakeholders were consulted in advance of and throughout negotiations for the UK’s accession to the CPTPP. During these consultations, the Canadian beef industry emphasized the need for reciprocal market access to the UK, and the negotiation of a reciprocal beef and veal TRQ under the CPTPP was undertaken in direct response to this request.

Although the Canadian red meat sector has long-standing concerns regarding UK sanitary measures — particularly the UK’s import ban on beef produced with growth-enhancing substances — stakeholders did not raise objections to the establishment or administration of the UK-specific CPTPP TRQ for beef and veal. However, following the conclusion of negotiations, some stakeholders expressed disappointment that a resolution was not reached with respect to the UK’s sanitary measures.

During the legislative process for the ratification of the UK Accession Protocol (Bill C-13), the Canadian meat sector, notably the Canadian Cattle Association, the Canadian Pork Council, the Canadian Meat Council, and the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance, participated actively in the parliamentary process to bring the UK Accession Protocol into force, including by appearing as witnesses during committee studies in both Chambers. While these groups reiterated concerns about unresolved UK market-access barriers, they did not raise issues with the establishment of the UK-specific beef and veal TRQ under the CPTPP.

Given the low expected utilization of the TRQ and the technical nature of the regulatory amendments, no additional targeted consultations were undertaken. The proposed amendments align with commitments negotiated under the CPTPP. GAC will continue to monitor TRQ utilization and engage stakeholders as needed should market conditions change.

Exemption from prepublication in the Canada Gazette, Part I

The amendments were not prepublished in the Canada Gazette, Part I, as they are required to implement Canada’s commitments under the UK’s Accession Protocol and must come into force in alignment with those obligations. The amendments reflect requests from affected stakeholders and, given that duty-free and quota-free access under the CUKTCA will continue to be available, the amendments are not expected to result in appreciable impacts or costs for Canadian businesses.

Indigenous engagement, consultation and modern treaty obligations

An assessment of modern treaty implications concluded that the amendments are technical in nature and relate solely to the administration of import controls for beef and veal. They do not affect land use, resource management, harvesting rights, or economic benefits provisions typically addressed in modern treaties. Accordingly, the amendments are not expected to result in any modern treaty implications or obligations.

Instrument choice

Regulatory amendments are required to implement Canada’s market access commitments for beef and veal under the UK’s accession to the CPTPP. Under the EIPA, the Minister may only issue import permits for goods listed on the ICL.

Amending the ICL as well as the schedules to GIP 100 and GIP 13 is the only viable approach to ensure that UK beef and veal are subject to import permit requirements and that the Minister can administer the TRQ as negotiated. No other options could be considered. The regulatory amendments are targeted, technical, and limited to what is necessary to bring Canada into compliance with its international commitments.

Regulatory analysis

Benefits and costs

The amendments are critical to ensure that Canada complies with the negotiated outcome and follows through on its commitments to the UK as part of the UK’s Accession Protocol to the CPTPP. The CPTPP is one of Canada’s most important trade agreements in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, representing a consumer base of approximately 594 million consumers and a combined 14.4% share of global gross domestic product.

Reinstating import permit requirements for UK beef and veal will give the Government of Canada the legal authority to administer the UK-specific CPTPP TRQ, ensuring Canada delivers market access as negotiated and provides and maintains a predictable, rules-based import control system. Administering a permit system will also enable GAC to monitor and track beef and veal imports into Canada.

The amendments may open additional pathways for Canadian importers interested in importing UK beef that does not qualify for duty-free treatment under the CUKTCA due to more restrictive rules of origin. Unlike under the CUKTCA, originating beef under the CPTPP can be slaughtered elsewhere (i.e. outside the UK). Despite the broader rules of origin under the CPTPP, GAC does not expect this to lead to a significant increase in the volumes of qualifying beef and veal imported from the UK.

The costs associated with this proposal are expected to be limited. Importers qualifying for rules of origin under the CPTPP who choose to use the within-access preferential rate of the TRQ will incur a small fee, and would need to complete the permit application process to obtain shipment-specific permits. Businesses that import UK beef in excess of the TRQ quantities under the CPTPP will need to pay the over-access rate if they elect to continue to import under the CPTPP.

Permit fees are not changing as a result of these amendments. However, importers of beef and veal who wish to claim preferential tariff access under the CPTPP will need to apply for shipment-specific permits. Individual permit fees range between $10 and $31 per shipment, depending on the total value of the goods being imported.

Importers will distinguish between CUKTCA and CPTPP treatment through their tariff preference selection in the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) system. Through this, importers will continue to have the option to import beef and veal under CUKTCA rules of origin, which offers a duty-free over-access rate. In addition, beef importers who choose to use the CUKTCA access may cite GIP 100, which allows businesses to import their beef without the need to obtain a shipment-specific permit. Given the flexibility offered by GIP 100, it is expected that most Canadian businesses will not apply for permits under the CPTPP, if at all. The incremental cost of citing GIP 100 for imports of beef under the CUKTCA rules of origin is expected to be negligible. It should be noted that importers already cite GIP 100 on a voluntary basis for such imports, so from a practical standpoint, there would be no incremental change for importers who import beef into Canada under the CUKTCA rules of origin.

GAC will be able to administer the TRQ within its existing systems. The incremental cost to do so is expected to be minimal.

Although the introduction of permit requirements for the UK CPTPP TRQ will result in minor administrative costs for participating importers, these amendments form part of a broader trade-facilitation initiative that is expected to yield an overall reduction in regulatory burden. By supporting expanded market access and reduced trade barriers, the CPTPP contributes to Canada’s wider objective of strengthening and diversifying its trade partnerships.

Small business lens

Analysis under the small business lens concluded that this proposal will impact small businesses who make the business decision to import under the new CPTPP TRQ. However, utilization of the TRQ is expected to be low because stakeholders who currently benefit from duty-free, quota-free access under the CUKTCA without the requirement to apply for shipment-specific import permits will be able to continue to do so, as long as they cite GIP 100 on their import declarations.

The amendments are not expected to pose challenges for small businesses. The process for obtaining an import permit is simple, fully digital, and typically takes only a few minutes to complete, with the same straightforward steps applying to all importers regardless of size or administrative capacity. The procedure does not require specialized staff or technical expertise, and GAC expects that the vast majority of import businesses in Canada are already familiar with the permit system. Any small business accessing the CPTPP TRQ would incur the standard shipment-specific permit fee.

Given the low expected utilization and the low cost of permit applications, no additional flexibility has been developed for small businesses.

One-for-one rule

The one-for-one rule applies, since there will be an incremental increase in administrative burden on businesses. The proposal is considered burden IN under the rule, and no regulatory titles are repealed or introduced. The amendments would result in an annualized administrative total cost of $1,299.

As per the Red Tape Reduction Regulations, the assessment of administrative impacts was conducted for a period of 10 years commencing from registration. All values listed in this section are presented in 2012 dollars, discounted to 2012 at a rate of 7%.

The amendments related to an application for a shipment-specific import permit represent an annualized total cost of $1,299. GAC estimates that there will be labour costs for up to 17 meat product manufacturers in Canada. These businesses would require up to 15 minutes to fulfill the new requirements every 15 days. The average wage (including overhead) of the responsible employee or employees is estimated to be $33.72 per hour.

To estimate the number of Canadian businesses potentially affected, data from the 2025 World Trade Organization (WTO) beef and veal TRQ was used as the closest comparable benchmarks. In 2025, 16 Canadian companies imported beef and veal from New Zealand under the WTO TRQ, using both an allocation and individual shipment permits. These firms applied for an average of 48 permits per company during the year. Total quantities imported from New Zealand under the WTO TRQ were 11 309 000 kg, which is approximately double the 5 421 211 kg imported from the UK in 2025. To approximate the number of Canadian firms that may import under the new UK CPTPP TRQ, the New Zealand figures were scaled proportionally to reflect the smaller UK import volume. The estimate therefore assumes 16 firms, representing a mix of small, medium, and large businesses, but reduces the average number of permits per firm by half to represent the fact that the total quantity of beef and veal imported from the UK in 2025 was approximately half the amount of product imported from New Zealand under the WTO beef and veal TRQ in 2025.

Regulatory cooperation and alignment

These amendments are required for Canada to comply with the negotiated agreement of the Accession Protocol. The amendments are not related to a work plan or commitment under a formal regulatory cooperation forum.

International obligations

The proposal is linked to a commitment made by Canada to the UK under the Accession Protocol. The CPTPP represents a binding international treaty.

Effects on the environment

In accordance with the Cabinet Directive on Strategic Environmental and Economic Assessment (SEEA Directive), a preliminary scan concluded that a strategic environmental and economic assessment is not required. The assessment concluded that environmental impacts from these regulatory amendments would likely be minor because incremental impacts to trade are expected to be minor and the CPTPP already includes environmental protections.

Gender-based analysis plus

GAC conducted a gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) on the impact of the UK’s accession to the CPTPP and did not identify any potential issues. The amendments to the ICL and GIP schedules relate to the administration of TRQs for beef and veal imports. Therefore, the proposal is not expected to result in any differential impacts on the basis of identity factors such as gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, age, etc. As the proposal is not expected to change consumer-facing prices, labour market conditions, or access to programs or services, no disproportionate or identity-specific impacts are expected.

Implementation, compliance and enforcement, and service standards

These orders come into force on the day on which Bill C-13, chapter 7 of the Statutes of Canada, 2026, comes into force, but if they are registered after that day, they will come into force on the day on which they are registered. From that day forward, the UK will no longer be exempt from import permit requirements under the ICL, GIP 100, and GIP 13. GAC will update its public-facing guidance, including Notices to Importers, to inform stakeholders of the new requirements and the administration of the UK-specific CPTPP TRQ.

Compliance will be achieved through existing mechanisms under the EIPA. These include the authority to refuse, suspend, or cancel permits; adjust or revoke TRQ allocations; require record-keeping and reporting for a prescribed period; and the ability to conduct audits or verifications. Goods imported without a valid shipment-specific permit may be detained, seized, or forfeited by the CBSA. Violations of the Act may also result in fines or prosecution. Importers of UK beef and veal will be required to obtain a valid shipment specific import permit from GAC when seeking to import under the CPTPP TRQ. The CBSA will verify permit requirements at the border as part of its standard import processing procedures. No new enforcement tools or compliance mechanisms are required, as the amendments do not introduce new obligations, beyond reinstating permit requirements for UK-origin beef and veal.

GAC will continue to apply its existing service standards for the processing of import permit applications.

No changes to service standards are required because of these amendments, and GAC has sufficient capacity to manage any incremental change in the volume of permit requests within existing resources.

Contact

Todd Hunter
Executive Director
Trade Controls Division
Global Affairs Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
Email: todd.hunter@international.gc.ca