Canada to issue new regulations on package of imported goods

Tran Thu Quynh, Trade Counselor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Canada, predicts that there will be more challenges ahead for Vietnamese businesses.

She revealed that the province of Quebec has been recently cracking down on firms with new French-language rules implemented for commercial signs and packaging on imported goods.

The new regulation draft is expected to affect many enterprises, including those in English-speaking provinces and Vietnam that sell goods into Quebec. The draft is set to take effect from June 1, 2025, with some exceptions until June, 2027.

According to statistics compiled by the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnamese exports to Canada last year dropped by 11.3% to over US$5.6 billion against the same period last year.

Meanwhile, figures released by Canadian agencies on February 8 reveal that Vietnam exported goods worth US$9.82 billion to the country, representing a slight decrease of 0.4% compared to 2022.

Since the beginning of the year, two major product groups that account for the largest proportion of Vietnamese export turnover to Canada include electronics, phones mobile, up 1.6%; and boiler reactor up 63.9%.

Other products also recorded positive growth including handbags, up 3.9%; auto parts, up 59%; ships, up 218%; and copper and copper products, up 16.9%. Currently, Canada has been Vietnam’s seventh largest export market.