News Release

National 2009

Canada and the Republic of South Africa sign a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement

Ottawa, Ontario, November 5, 2009 — The Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Peter Van Loan, today announced that the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), represented by the High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa, Ms. Adèle Dion, and Mr. Pravin Gordhan, South African Minister of Finance, signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement.

"The customs information and intelligence shared under this Agreement will allow the CBSA to prevent, investigate and combat customs offences and allow for cooperation on critical global issues such as security," said Minister Van Loan.

The Agreement will enable Canada and South Africa to exchange information to ensure the proper application of customs law in their respective territories, and to enhance the security of the international trade supply chain.

This is the eighth such agreement that Canada has signed since 1984.

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