• Canada–U.S. trade supported 7.1 million U.S. jobs
• Total Canada–U.S. merchandise trade: $535 billion
• 295,250 Pennsylvania jobs are supported by Canada–U.S. trade
• Canada is Pennsylvania’s largest foreign export market
• Canadians made more than 766,500 visits to Pennsylvania, spending $133 million
• Pennsylvania residents made 632,000 visits to Canada, spending $307 million

A Close Relationship

In 2007, Pennsylvania and Canada continued their strong relationship as bilateral trade flows surpassed $20.5 billion for the year. The state supplied its northern NAFTA partner with just over $8 billion in merchandise and purchased $12.5 billion worth. In fact, Pennsylvania exported 32% of its foreign-bound goods to Canada, a greater volume than to its next six international destinations — Mexico, Belgium, United Kingdom, China, Japan, and Germany — combined.

Strong ties

The metals sector dominated Pennsylvania–Canada exports and imports, generating $3.9 billion in sales. Pennsylvania sold $1.46 billion worth of metals to Canada, including steel plate, sheet and strip ($475 million). In return, the Keystone State bought $2.46 billion in Canadian metal products. Aluminium, ($506 million), and nickel ($420 million), were Pennsylvania’s main metals imports from Canada.

Food for thought

Bilateral trade of agricultural products between Canada and Pennsylvania reached $1.7 billion last year, an increase of 14% from 2006. The state sent cereals, sugars and live animals northbound and purchased cocoa, sugars and dairy produce.

Growth in the life sciences

The life sciences industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing segments of the U.S. economy. The sale of pharmaceutical products between the partners is significant. Bilateral trade in medicines accounted for $1.2 billion in 2007, with Pennsylvania buying $764 million worth of Canadian packaged medicines.

A valuable friendship

On September 11, 2007, the Consulate of Canada hosted a breakfast in honor of Claude Elliot, the mayor of Gander, province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The City of Philadelphia thanked the mayor and presented him a Liberty Bell as a sign of gratitude. Gander residents opened up their arms, homes and schools to the 6,600 passengers and crew members redirected to the Canadian island while U.S. airspace was shut down following the September 11th attacks.

Canada–Pennsylvania Success Stories

Canadian company, Nicom IT Solutions of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and the Maritime Exchange of the Delaware River and Bay have signed a major contract to redevelop the port logistics system. The new system, called “Maritime On-Line” will consist of a number of software applications to capture and report on vessel movement, cargo manifests, Customs and Border requirements, and advanced arrival/departure schedules. The web-based electronic commerce system will be used by many organizations who form part of the Maritime Exchange. Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, the Honorable Michael Wilson, has said that the partnership between Nicom and the Maritime Exchange is yet “another example of how Canada and the United States are working together to better secure North America.”

In October 2007, US Steel finalized its acquisition of Hamilton, Ontario based Stelco Inc. for $1.2 billion. Renaming the facility US Steel Canada Inc., the inclusion of Stelco within the US Steel manufacturing organization expands the USS footprint for its North American flat-rolled operations with facilities on both sides of the Great Lakes to better respond to customer needs.

June 2008

Tourism

• 766,500 Pennsylvania visits by Canadians, $133 million spent
• 632,000 Pennsylvania visits to Canada, $307 million spent

Jobs

• Pennsylvania jobs supported by Canada–U.S. trade: 295,250

Merchandise Trade

• Exports to Canada: $8 billion
• Imports from Canada: $12.5 billion
• Bilateral trade: $20.5 billion
• Largest export market: Canada

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Merchandise trade and tourism figures are from Statistics Canada, converted at the rate of US$1.00=C$1.0749. Merchandise trade is based on total exports and imports for the year 2007. Job numbers are based on 2005 data from a 2006 study commissioned by the Canadian Embassy. Canada’s export ranking is from the World Institute for Strategic Economic Research (WISER). All figures are in U.S. dollars. Figures may not add up due to rounding.