Q.01

How do I look up a Canadian clothing label CA number?

You can look up a CA number in the Competition Bureau Canada's free online CA Identification Number search at ised-isde.canada.ca/app/cb/can. Search by the number or by company name (optionally with a province), and it returns the dealer the number was issued to.

How to run the search

  • By number: a CA number is "a five digit identification number preceded by the letters CA (ex: CA00000)." Enter the five digits in the "CA Identification Number (#####)" field (search page, CA Identification Number page).
  • By company: enter one company name at a time. Boolean operators like "AND" don't work, and neither do wildcards. Partial text works, so "123 Company" also finds "123 Company Ltd." Quotation marks make no difference (Tips for searching).
  • By province: pick a province or territory alone or together with a company name. Any search returns at most 100 records, so narrow it if you hit that limit (Tips for searching).
  • What's covered: the database includes numbers the Bureau has issued and numbers it has cancelled. A match doesn't by itself mean the number is still active (Tips for searching).
  • Accuracy: the holders are responsible for keeping their database entries correct and must tell the Bureau's Information Centre about changes in writing. A record can therefore be out of date (search page).
  • US RN numbers: if the label shows an RN number instead, that is the US equivalent. The page links to a separate search for the US RN database (search page).

Where CA numbers come from Section 12 of the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations covers this [1]:

  • A dealer living in Canada "may apply" to the Commissioner for a number to use on consumer textile labels in place of its name and postal address. This applies to dealers that make or have articles made, process, finish or sell them at retail in Canada, import them, or own and distribute them in Canada.
  • The Commissioner "shall assign" a number once those conditions and the application requirements are met. The application must give the business name, the authorised official, and the Canadian address and phone number.
  • The dealer may use the number only while that information is up to date.
  • A number can be transferred to a later dealer, who may use it if it also meets the same conditions and keeps the information current.

Approach: I read the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations and then the Competition Bureau's official CA Identification Number search and guidance pages. The registry of CA numbers itself isn't in the datasets I can search, so I can't look up a specific number for you; you'd need to run it in the Bureau's tool.

Q.02

Do clothing importers need one?

No. A CA number is optional for a clothing importer. Under the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations, the label on a consumer textile article must identify the dealer, and a CA number is just one way to do that. The other is the dealer's name and postal address.

What the label must show (section 11)

  • Every label that has to meet the disclosure requirements "shall show" the fibre content, and, "subject to subsections (2) and 12(1)," the "name and postal address of the dealer" [2].
  • If the article, or any fabric or fibre in it, is represented as imported, the label shall also show the country of origin, unless another label on the article already shows it [2].
  • The dealer identity "shall be" clearly and prominently shown, easily legible, and kept apart from any graphics on the label that the Regulations don't require [3].

Where the CA number comes in (section 12)

  • A dealer "who resides in Canada may apply" for an identification number to use "in place of the dealer's name and postal address." Importing consumer textile articles into Canada is one of the listed qualifying activities (paragraph 12(1)(b)) [1].
  • The verb is "may," so applying is a choice, not an obligation. An importer that doesn't hold a CA number puts its name and postal address on the label instead.
  • An importer that does use a CA number may use it only while the application details (business name, authorised official, and Canadian address and phone number) are kept up to date [1].

Approach: I read sections 11 to 15 of the current Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations as published on Justice Laws.

Q.03

How do I apply?

You apply to the Competition Bureau for a CA number, either online or by mail. The fee is a one-time $100. The online form usually gets a response within 5 business days, and a mailed form within 20 business days after your payment is validated (Competition Bureau, CA Identification Number).

Who can apply (section 12(1)) A dealer "who resides in Canada may apply" if it makes or has articles made, processes, finishes or sells them at retail in Canada; imports consumer textile articles into Canada; or owns and distributes them in Canada [1].

What the application must contain (section 12(2)) The application "shall":

  • be in writing
  • give the name the dealer does business under in Canada
  • name an official who works for the dealer, lives in Canada and is authorised to make the application
  • give the address and phone number of the dealer's place of business in Canada, or of its head office if that is in Canada
  • give a Canadian postal address if the business address can't receive mail
  • include the fee [1]

The official Justice Laws text sets the fee at "$100" in paragraph 12(2)(c) (Justice Laws). Once these requirements are met, the Commissioner "shall assign" the number [1].

Option 1: online

  1. Open the online application form and fill in every mandatory field (marked with an asterisk).
  2. Check the information, then click "proceed with the payment." The secure payment page accepts MasterCard, VISA, American Express or Interac Online.
  3. Print the acknowledgement and keep it on file. A response should arrive within 5 business days.

Option 2: by mail

  1. Download the CA Identification Number Application Form and fill it in.
  2. Mail it with a cheque or money order payable to the Receiver General for Canada, to: Information Centre, Competition Bureau, 50 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0C9.
  3. A response should arrive within 20 business days after your payment is validated.

After you have the number You may use the number in place of your name and postal address only while the information you gave in the application stays up to date [1]. The Bureau has separate pages to update or cancel a number.

Approach: I took the eligibility and content requirements from section 12 of the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations, and confirmed the fee in the official Justice Laws text. The online and mail steps come from the Competition Bureau's CA Identification Number page.

Q.04