Canada International Trade Tribunal Initiates Safeguard Inquiry on Certain Vegetable Goods

On March 16, 2026, on the recommendation if the Minister of Finance (the “Minister”), the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (the “CITT”) launched a safeguard inquiry on the importation into Canada of certain vegetable goods. Each person or government wishing to make submissions must abide by the procedure set out in the Notice of Commencement of Safeguard Inquiry. The deadline for interested parties to file a Notice of Participation is April 2, 2026.

The goods subject to the safeguard inquiry are defined as follows:

Frozen and canned corn, peas, green beans, wax beans, mixes of peas and carrots, mixed vegetables, white, black, red or pinto beans and chickpeas, whether packaged for retail, foodservice, industrial or other use, whether cleaned, individually quick frozen or block frozen, prepared, blanched, cooked or preserved, whether in metal cans, whether whole, cut, sliced, diced or otherwise mechanically prepared, whether seasoned with salt or containing added sugars or preservatives or other common canning, freezing or other packaging, whether from organic or conventional vegetables or whether sold in consumer, foodservice or industrial or bulk formats.

For the purposes of this safeguard inquiry, the following goods are excluded: (i) fresh or dried vegetables; (ii) ready-to-eat meals or entrees where vegetables are combined with grains, meats, pastas or sauces such that vegetables are not the primary component; and (iii) vegetable goods substantially altered into purees, powders, juices, spreads, dips or pastes.

The purpose of the inquiry is to determine whether the subject goods are “being imported into Canada in such increased quantities and under such conditions as to be a principal cause of serious injury or threat thereof to Canadian producers of like or directly competitive goods”. In the affirmative, the CITT has been directed to recommend an appropriate remedy to address the injury of threat of injury over a period of three years. In doing so, the CITT must consider “the effect of the remedy on the affordability for consumers of certain vegetable goods and food security”. The CITT must report to the Minister by September 9, 2026.