August 2009

The purpose of this notice is to advise that pursuant to the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food Act, the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is maintaining the overall responsibility for the issuance of age and origin certificates for distilled spirits produced or packaged in Canada. A Ministerial Order (Order) has been published in the Canada Gazette and is available at www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p2/2009/2009-07-08/html/si-tr61-eng.html. The terms and conditions set out in the Schedule to the Order are similar to the age and origin provisions that existed in the former Distillery Regulations and the Distillery Departmental Regulations. The Order also authorizes persons to be designated as inspectors to issue age and origin certificates. Given the CRA’s familiarity with this activity, certain excise duty officers have been designated as inspectors and will continue to issue these certificates.

For more information on this subject, contact your nearest regional excise duty office. A list of regional excise duty offices is available in Excise Duty Memorandum 1.1.2, Regional Excise Duty Offices on the CRA Web site.