Current status: Closed
This consultation ran from May 13, 2024 to June 12, 2024
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) sought feedback on the proposed changes to Part 16 – Fish Inspection Fees of the CFIA Fees Notice related to import inspection fees.
Who was the focus of this consultation
Stakeholders, including:
- fish and seafood importers
- industry associations
- other government departments
- international trading partners
All comments from industry, governments, the public, or other organizations or individuals were welcome.
Background: Key areas for discussion
When the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) came into force in 2019, the Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence replaced all former food licences, including the two fish and seafood import licence types issued under the repealed Fish Inspection Regulations.
For fish and seafood importers, this meant that licensing fees were reduced, but import inspection service fees were maintained at the same level until the CFIA's service fees modernization initiative could be advanced. This approach was consulted with stakeholders in 2018, as part of the SFCR consultation, and supported for implementation based on the feedback received.
The CFIA is now in a position to advance its service fees modernization initiative, and is focusing current efforts on reviewing areas in the CFIA Fees Notice that require updates. Based on recent feedback from fish and seafood stakeholders, the CFIA is prioritizing the review and amendment of the service fees related to imports of fish products.
Proposed changes
Changes to Part 16, Fish Inspection Fees, fall into the following two main categories:
Category 1: Updates to wording and references of Section 4 by aligning the existing wording and references with the requirements found in the SFCR related to the SFC licence and consequent elimination of the reference to the Quality Management Program. Wording updates to Section 4 will not impact services to fish and seafood importers.
Proposed new wording and references:
4. (1) Subject to subsection (2), a licensed importer who imports fish into Canada shall pay in respect of the type of product set out in column 1 of an item of table 2, an inspection service fee, per kilogram of declared weight of fish imported, in the amount identified in column 2 of table 2.
Category 2: Updates to wording and fees of "Table 2: Inspection Service for Imports" by deleting the wording and reference to the Quality Management Program and all fees associated with Column 2. A single fee of $0.00230 (adjusted annually for inflation, as per Service Fees Act), per kilogram of declared weight of fish imported into Canada, will be established for all types of fish products. Wording and updates to fees will not impact services, but will impact costs to fish and seafood importers currently paying fees associated with Column 2.
Next steps
The CFIA will review all of the comments received. If no significant concerns are raised, the CFIA will finalize the approval of the amendments. If significant concerns are raised, the CFIA will re-evaluate the approach. A "What We Heard" report that summarizes the feedback received along with final amendments will be published.
Related information
- CFIA Fees Notice
- CFIA Act
- Service Fees Act
- Notice of intent: Amendment to the CFIA Fees Notice on fish import inspection fees
Contact us
Service Fees
Policy and Programs Branch
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
1400 Merivale Road
Ottawa, ON K1A 0Y9
Email: cost-recovery@inspection.gc.ca