Mountain Equipment Co-op and Arc Teryx have reached an agreement with Canadian manufacturers who had opposed their efforts to reduce traffics on imported fabrics used in the manufacture of breathable outdoor and ski apparel.
The parties have submitted a proposal on how to word a revised tariff item to the Canadian International Trade Tribunal. The CITT will review the proposal and refer it to Canadian customs authorities before making a recommendation to Canadas Minister of Finance, CITT Secretary Helene Nadeau told BOSS.
The Canadian Association of Technical Outerwear Manufacturers requested the tariff relief on behalf of the two companies last year. The CITT agreed to investigate it on Dec. 7, 2007 and was set to hold a hearing on the matter April 29, but canceled it when the parties reached an agreement. The CITT still hopes to make its recommendation to the Ministry of Trade by June 3.
The request comes as Outdoor Industry Association in the United States pushes for tariff relief on a variety of technical apparel, footwear and other equipment. In both countries, vendors are hoping tariff relief will mitigate big price increases being prompted by a change in Chinese labor law and the rising price of oil, aluminum, steel and other inputs.
