Mercedes Mullins
Despite being the world's third-largest oil reserve holder, Canada imports tens of billions of dollars worth of oil annually, particularly into its eastern regions. In 2021, Canada imported approximately 473,000 barrels of oil per day, costing the country around $14.7 billion. The US is a major exporter of oil to Canada, with Canadian energy trade accounting for 27% of the value of all US imports from Canada in 2019.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Canada's oil imports in 2021 | 473,000 bpd |
| Cost of oil imports in 2021 | $14.7 billion |
| Largest source of oil imports | The US |
| US crude oil exports to Canada in 2019 | 459,000 b/d |
| US crude oil imports from Canada in 2019 | 3.8 million barrels per day |
| US crude oil imports from Canada by rail in 2019 | 300,000 b/d |
| Percentage of US energy imports from Canada in 2019 | 27% |
| Value of US energy imports from Canada in 2019 | $85 billion |
| Percentage of US energy imports from Canada that were crude oil and petroleum products in 2019 | 91% |
| Value of US crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, and electricity exports to Canada in 2019 | $23 billion |
| Percentage of US exports to Canada that were crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, and electricity in 2019 | 8% |
| Canada's refined petroleum products (RPPs) imports in 2022 | 478,000 barrels per day (b/d) |
| Total cost of all imported RPPs in 2022 | $26.1 billion |
| Total cost of all imported RPPs in 2021 | $16.8 billion |
| Percentage increase in RPP imports from 2021 to 2022 | 5% |
| Percentage of RPPs imported from Russia in the first quarter of 2022 | 0% to 2% |
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What You'll Learn
Canada's oil imports in 2021
Despite having the world's third-largest oil reserves, Canada imported around 473,000 barrels of oil per day in 2021, costing approximately $14.7 billion. This was a 20% decrease from 2020, when the country imported 579,000 barrels per day.
The United States was the largest source of Canada's imported oil in 2021, accounting for 66% of the total, followed by Saudi Arabia at 15% and Nigeria at 13%. The US has been the top supplier of crude oil to Canada for several years, with imports by rail tripling from 91,000 barrels per day in 2016 to 300,000 in 2019.
Canada's oil imports are largely due to a lack of pipeline infrastructure connecting the oil-rich west, particularly Alberta, to the eastern parts of the country, which include Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic provinces. This has resulted in a reliance on foreign oil imports, with New Brunswick's Irving Refinery, for example, depending almost entirely on imports by tanker and railway.
In 2021, Canada's refined petroleum product (RPP) imports also rose modestly, with demand increasing for products such as gasoline, diesel, heating oil, jet fuel and condensate. While Canada produces more RPPs than it consumes, certain areas with high demand, such as Quebec and Ontario, are not well-connected by pipeline infrastructure and thus rely on imports.
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Foreign oil imports via tanker and railway
Despite being the world's third-largest oil reserve holder, Canada imported roughly 473,000 barrels of oil per day in 2021, costing Canadians approximately $14.7 billion. The country relies heavily on foreign oil imports, with about half of Canada's population in the eastern regions lacking energy security. This is due to the lack of major pipeline infrastructure connecting the oil-rich west to the eastern part of the country. As a result, Canada relies on foreign oil imports via tanker and railway.
New Brunswick's Irving Refinery relies almost entirely on foreign oil imports via tanker and railway. With a production capacity of around 320,000 barrels of crude oil per day, it is Canada's largest refinery, producing wholesale and retail products such as diesel, jet fuel, gasoline, heating oil, asphalt, and propane. While some eastern provinces, like Prince Edward Island, obtain their oil and gas products from the Irving refinery, others import foreign oil.
The St. Lawrence River is a major route for oil tanker transportation, facilitating the delivery of over 500,000 barrels of petroleum products to refineries in Quebec daily. In addition to tankers, Canada also imports foreign oil via railway. In 2023, approximately 0.12 million barrels per day were transported by rail, with crude oil trade by rail becoming more attractive due to insufficient pipeline capacity.
Canada's crude oil imports by rail have significantly increased over the years. From an average of 91,000 barrels per day in 2016, it tripled to 300,000 barrels per day in 2019. More than half of the crude oil imported by rail (171,000 barrels per day) went to the U.S. Gulf Coast region. Additionally, Canada imported refined petroleum products (RPPs) from various countries, including the United States, Russia, and European countries. In 2022, RPP imports rose by 5%, with Alberta receiving about half of the imported RPP volumes, primarily condensate from the U.S.
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US energy exports to Canada
Canada is the largest source of US energy imports and the second-largest destination for US energy exports, behind Mexico. In 2019, the US exported US$23 billion worth of energy products to Canada, including crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, and electricity. This accounted for about 8% of the value of all US exports to Canada and was the second-highest level recorded, after 2014.
The US exported 459,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Canada in 2019, making Canada the largest destination for US crude oil exports. These exports typically consist of light, sweet grades of crude oil that are shipped to eastern Canada. In contrast, US crude oil imports from Canada tend to be heavy grades sourced from oil sands in Alberta, Western Canada.
The electricity systems of the US and Canada are fully interconnected, sharing more than 30 major cross-border electric transmission lines. In 2019, the US imported 52 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity from Canada and exported 14 million MWh to its northern neighbour. The Pacific Northwest is a primary source of electricity exports to Canada, while most of the electricity imported by the US from Canada goes to northeastern states.
In addition to crude oil and electricity, the US also exports refined petroleum products (RPPs) to Canada. Alberta, which accounts for about half of Canada's imported RPP volumes, receives most of its RPP imports from the US through two pipelines, Southern Lights and Cochin. These RPPs are primarily condensate, which is blended with bitumen extracted from oil sands projects to allow it to flow through pipelines.
The energy trade between the US and Canada is an important component of their economic relationship. However, tensions have arisen due to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, leading to threats by Canadian Premier Doug Ford to cut off electricity exports to the US. Such a move would impact power reliability and costs in many US states, particularly in the Northeast.
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Canada's refined petroleum imports in 2022
Despite having the world's third-largest oil reserves, Canada imported approximately 473,000 barrels per day (b/d) of oil in 2021, costing around $14.7 billion. In 2022, Canada's refined petroleum products (RPPs) imports rose by 5% to 478,000 b/d, with 80% of imported RPPs coming from the US. This increase in imports was due to growing oil sands production requiring more condensate and a general economic recovery requiring more transportation fuels than in 2021. The total cost of all imported RPPs in 2022 was $26.1 billion, 55% more than in 2021, due to higher volumes and higher global RPP prices.
Alberta receives about half of Canada's imported RPP volumes, primarily condensate from the US, which is used for blending with bitumen extracted from oil sands projects to allow it to flow through pipelines. Quebec is the next-largest importer of RPPs, making up 110,000 b/d or 23% of total Canadian imports, followed by Ontario at 49,000 b/d or 10%. Most of the RPPs imported into these provinces are transportation fuels such as gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel. While Canada’s refineries produce more RPPs than Canadians consume, RPPs are still imported because some parts of the country do not produce enough to meet local needs.
Canada is the largest source of US energy imports, and energy is an important component of trade between the two countries. In 2019, crude oil and petroleum products accounted for 91% of the value of US energy imports from Canada and 89% of the value of US energy exports to Canada. The US exported $23 billion worth of crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas, and electricity to Canada in 2019, about 8% of the value of all US exports to Canada. US crude oil exports to Canada tend to be light and sweet grades, while US imports from Canada tend to be heavy crude oil sourced from oil sands in Alberta.
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Canada's crude oil imports by rail
Canada, which has the world's third-largest oil reserves, still imports tens of billions of dollars of oil every year, particularly into its eastern provinces. The US is the largest exporter of crude oil to Canada, with 459,000 barrels per day (b/d) exported in 2019. This oil is typically light and sweet and is shipped to the eastern provinces. In contrast, US imports from Canada are heavy and sourced from oil sands in Alberta, Western Canada, and are sent to US Midwest refineries.
Crude oil trade by rail has become more attractive because Canada's pipeline capacity has been insufficient to accommodate its growing crude oil production. This has resulted in a tripling of US imports of Canadian crude oil by rail from 91,000 b/d in 2016 to 300,000 b/d in 2019. More than half of this volume (171,000 b/d) went to the US Gulf Coast region.
Canada's imports of refined petroleum products (RPPs) rose by 5% in 2022 to 478,000 barrels per day (b/d). Alberta receives about half of Canada's imported RPP volumes, primarily condensate imported from the US via two pipelines, Southern Lights and Cochin. This is blended with bitumen extracted from oil sands projects to allow it to flow through pipelines. Quebec is the next-largest importer of RPPs, making up 110,000 b/d or 23% of total Canadian imports, followed by Ontario at 49,000 b/d or 10%. Most of the RPPs imported into these provinces are transportation fuels such as gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel.
Canada's crude oil exports by rail data is available from 2012 onwards, with monthly updates available from the Canada Energy Regulator.
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Frequently asked questions
Canada imported roughly 473,000 barrels of oil per day in 2021, costing approximately $14.7 billion.
Ontario, Quebec, and the Atlantic provinces are the top importers of fuel in Canada.
The United States is the largest source of Canada's energy imports, with crude oil and petroleum products accounting for 91% of the value of these imports.
