Israel and Canada signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement

The Agreement provides the legal framework for Canada and Israel to share customs information to prevent, investigate and combat customs offences
 
Vic Toews, Canada's Minister of Public Safety and Her Excellency Miriam Ziv, Israeli Ambassador to Canada, announced last week that Canada and Israel had signed a Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement.
 
The Agreement provides the legal framework for Canada and Israel to share customs information to prevent, investigate and combat customs offences. These agreements emphasize the importance of working with international partners to assist with the facilitation of people and goods, and to ensure the security and prosperity of Canada.
 
The signing ceremony took place in the presence of Minister Toews, Ambassador Ziv, Malcolm Brown, Executive Vice-President of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), Doron Arbely, Director General of the Israel Tax Authority and Yitzhak Cohen, Israel's Deputy Minister of Finance and Israel's Customs Attach in USA and Canada.
 
Doron Arbely, Director General of the Israel Tax Authority noted that "Economic relations with Canada are very important for Israel. This agreement will serve as a platform to enhance bilateral trade and will benefit the economies of both countries," Arbely added that "Not only will the agreement facilitate exports, it will also help authorities to enforce and monitor this trade."
 
In 2011, bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Israel was up by 5% compared to the corresponding year, valued at US$1.25 billion. Canada's exports to Israel - valued at nearly US$437 million in 2011 - consist primarily of precious metals and stones, electrical machinery, sulphurs, paper and paper products, and medical instruments. Canada's imports from Israel - valued at US$803 million in 2011 - consist primarily of pharmaceutical products, electrical machinery, precious metals and stones, machinery and medical instruments.