Market Snapshot: Imports of crude oil continue to decrease in 2018

Release date: 2019-03-20

Canada imports around one barrel of crude oil for every seven and a half barrels it produces. Imports of crude oil decreased 12% in 2018, from 675 thousand barrels a dayFootnote 1 (Mb/d) in 2017 to 593 Mb/d. The United States (U.S.) continues to be the largest source of Canada’s imported crude oil. In 2018, over 60% of Canada’s oil imports came from the U.S., roughly 6% higher than 2017. A higher share of imports also came from Saudi Arabia however, less came from Azerbaijan, the United Kingdom (U.K.), Algeria and Nigeria compared to 2017.Footnote 2

Figure 1: Countries Canada imports crude oil from

Source and Description

Source: Statistics Canada’s Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database (CIMT)

Description: This stacked bar chart shows imports of crude oil to Canada by country of origin from 2010 to 2018. Imports decreased between 2017 and 2018 from 675 Mb/d to 593 Mb/d. The shares of imports to Canada in 2018 were on average 64% from the United States, 18% from Saudi Arabia, 6% from Azerbaijan, 3% from Norway, 2% from Nigeria, 2% from U.K., 2% from Algeria, and 3% from others.

The provinces that import the most crude oil are New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The majority of imported crude oil to the refineries in New Brunswick and Newfoundland come by marine tankers. Although Quebec’s refineries import some crude oil by marine tankers, most crude oil imports are by pipeline from the U.S. Both New Brunswick and Quebec’s refineries can import crude by rail from the U.S., however this is not typically done. Crude oil imports to Ontario’s refineries are only by pipeline.

Figure 2: Origin of crude oil imported to eastern provinces

Source and Description

Source: Statistics Canada’s Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database (CIMT)

Description: This stacked bar graph shows imports into Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec in 2017 and 2018, separated into U.S. and non-U.S. imports. Imports into New Brunswick decreased in 2018 to 231 Mb/d, and 41 Mb/d came from the U.S. Imports into Quebec decreased to 153 Mb/d, and 138 Mb/d of imports came from the U.S. Imports into Newfoundland and Labrador increased to 95 Mb/d, and 88 Mb/d of imports came from the U.S. Imports into Ontario decreased to 48 Mb/d, and all came from the U.S.

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