Brian Staples, Canadian Trade Avdisor

“Brian Rankin Staples serves as a/the Canadian Trade Advisor for SS&A. Mr. Staples moved to Ottawa in 1981 and since then has been solving international trade and customs problems for a wide range of North American and international clients. In 1998 Mr. Staples established Trade Facilitation Services and more recently became the founding director of the Origin Institute (see www.theorigininstitute.org).

Mr. Staples assists companies in securing compliance through a broad range of advisory and verification services in technical trade fundamentals such as rules of origin, tariff classification, valuation and customs procedures which are complemented with significant activity in policy matters including preferential trade management and trade facilitation initiatives. A particular area of experience and expertise lies in designing and developing single-issue coalitions to amend and improve trade regulations. Mr. Staples has been a longstanding member of the Canadian Apparel Federation and has extensive experience in working collaboratively with them in securing tariff relief on imported fabrics and other. He has also worked extensively to help food and grocery product suppliers to import their products into Canada.

In addition to resolving trade problems for private sector clients, Mr. Staples has worked on a wide range of trade and customs related technical assistance and capacity building projects for various international and regional development institutions including the Canadian International Development Agency, the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the International Trade Center and UNCTAD.

Mr. Staples is a member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and serves on the International Chamber of Commerce’s Commission on Customs and Trade Regulations.”