Ottawa – October 15, 2026 – The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) today published its report on consumer awareness of Canada’s customs regime amid the rapid growth of cross-border e-commerce. The report identifies significant gaps in consumers’ understanding of the applicable duties, taxes and brokerage fees they may face when purchasing goods from foreign online retailers—costs that can be unexpected, poorly disclosed and difficult to dispute.
Drawing on focus group findings, the report examines gaps in consumer awareness and provides a consumer-friendly overview of the Canadian customs system. It defines key terms, identifies the main participants in the customs clearance process and explains the role of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) as the primary federal agency overseeing the customs regime. The report distinguishes between duties and fees collected by the CBSA and fees charged by customs brokers for their clearance services. It also explains relevant legislation and the obligations of consumers and retailers involved in international shipments.
“An online purchase that appears affordable can become considerably more expensive once applicable duties, taxes and brokerage fees are added,” said Tahira Dawood, PIAC’s Acting General Counsel. “Simplified, clear, and well-publicized practices related to the customs regime can play an instrumental role in reducing this information gap and enabling consumers to better understand the overall cost of their purchase.”
“As online shopping becomes increasingly popular among Canadians, it is critical that we understand the role of our customs system,” said Joshua Fichman-Goldberg, a report contributor and PIAC’s Public Interest Articling Fellow at the time the report was written. “According to our findings, consumers are confused about fees owed at customs and are surprised when additional sums may be owed upon shipment. Consumers deserve a clearer framework and better explanations from online platforms, retailers, federal government agencies and regulators who oversee the regime.”
The report provides a set of recommendations for federal departments and agencies to improve transparency and consumer understanding of Canada’s customs system. The report also recommends streamlining new digital customs clearance systems to reduce uncertainty for small retailers. PIAC’s research highlights the importance of the customs system beyond revenue collection for monitoring the safety and security of goods moving across borders. These concerns further underscore the need for more awareness of consumers’ rights and obligations when purchasing and shipping goods internationally.
A copy of the report, “Brokering a New Era of Consumer Education on Customs Duties and Customs Brokers” is available here. A French version of this report is available here.
For more information, please contact:
Tahira Dawood
Acting General Counsel
Public Interest Advocacy Centre
1-877-613-PIAC (7422) – tdawood@piac.ca
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