Notification of Canadian International Trade Tribunal Decision on Centrifugal Opening Knives

Customs Notice 18-01 Ottawa, January 5, 2018 Revised date – Ottawa, January 10, 2018

1. This Notice is to advise interested parties that the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) has rendered a decision in Appeal No. AP-2017-012, T. LaPlante v. President of the Canada Border Services Agency regarding knives which open automatically by centrifugal force (centrifugal knives).

2. In accordance with subsection 84(1) of the Criminal Code and the CITT's recent decision in T. LaPlante, the CBSA resolves that centrifugal knives will be classified as prohibited weapons if the following conditions are met:

a knife has a blade that opens by centrifugal force, when the blade is released from the handle into the fully ejected and locked position with a simple and brisk outwardly flick of the wrist; and it includes knives that require some preliminary or simultaneous minimal manipulation of either a flipper or other non-edged parts of the blade.

3. Please be advised that the CBSA will immediately prohibit the importation of all knives by an individual that open as per the CITT's decision. Importation by a business is permitted if a Firearms Business Licence has been presented with import – prohibited weapon, listed as a business activity on the licence. For more detailed information concerning the decision, please consult the decision posted on the Tribunal's website at: CITT Appeal No. AP-2017-012.

4. The CBSA’s policy on the importation of prohibited weapons is available in Memorandum D19-13-2, Importing and Exporting Firearms, Weapons and Devices. The Memoranda D19-13-2 will be revised to reflect the CITT decision on centrifugal opening knives.