Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement

It eliminated tariffs on originating goods in stages over ten years, by January 1, 1998, using rules of origin based mainly on change in tariff classification, and liberalized services and investment. It created binational panels to review antidumping and countervailing duty decisions. NAFTA suspended it from January 1, 1994, and USMCA now governs US-Canada trade, so it imposes no current obligations.

CUSFTA started the integration of US and Canadian supply chains that USMCA continues, and its tariff-free trade supported cross-border models in which one warehouse serves both countries. Many Canadian brands built US distribution through warehouses near crossings such as Buffalo and Detroit. It also introduced the binational panel review still used under USMCA Chapter 10, which matters when antidumping duties affect goods such as softwood lumber.

• Antidumping DutyADExtra duty on goods sold below fair value
• Certificate of OriginDocument that proves where goods were made

• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)1994–2020 · 1994 to 2020 North American trade pact replaced by USMCA
• USMCA2020 · North American free trade pact that replaced NAFTA
• CBSA Assessment and Revenue Management (CARM)2024 · Canada's digital system for import duties and payment

1. H.R. 5090, United States-Canada Free-Trade Agreement Implementation Act of 1988 (Congress.gov) congress.gov