CIFFA Mission Statement Our mission is to represent and support members of the Canadian international freight forwarding industry in providing the highest level of quality and professional services to their clients. Mandat de L’ATIC Notre mandat consiste à représenter et appuyer les membres de l’association des transitaires internationaux du Canada afin qu’ils puissent offrir à leurs clients des services professionnels de qualité supérieure. The Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association was founded September 1948 in Montreal by a small group of freight forwarders who saw a need to create an industry association to meet the professional demands of its members. Read the newsclips which appeared in various trade publications at that time. The conditions of the original charter read: To unite into a cohesive organization, as bona fide freight forwarders, those engaged in the business of foreign freight forwarding. To support and protect the character, status, and interest of foreign freight forwarders by establishing uniform trade practice and regulations and eliminating trade evils and abuses. To adjust disputes and difficulties between members and others and to establish and promulgate generally proper rules and regulations for arbitrating same. To deal with all questions affecting the interests of foreign freight forwarders at large, and to initiate and watch over, and if necessary to petition Parliament in relation to legislation or measure affecting foreign freight forwarders to procure changes of law or practice or routine or regulations, or to promote improvement in the principles or trade in its relation to the business of the members of this Association. While these principles remain unchanged to this day, the Association and its members have come a long way since those early beginnings. Today the Association represents members in three divisions: * Eastern Division is responsible for the Province of Quebec and all points East, * Central Division is responsible for Ontario, and Manitoba * Western Division is responsible British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta The National Board of Directors, elected each year at the Association’s annual general meeting, oversees the activities of the Association on a National level, dealing with subjects of both National and International importance to its members. Greater recognition of CIFFA and its members has been achieved through significant and on-going efforts to professionalize the activities of the freight forwarding industry in Canada. The Association’s members, as required by the by-laws, adhere to recognized standard trading conditions, have forwarder’s liability insurance including errors and omissions, and have access to a training program through the CIFFA education system to ensure the professional quality of their staff. Whether shipper, importer or freight forwarder, the Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association is important to you. As a freight forwarder, it provides you with the opportunity to rank yourself as a true professional in this industry. As a shipper or importer, it provides a source of professional level transportation services and a facility through which grievances can be aired, that being the Ethics and Standards Committee.