The Business Council of sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ has released a summary report on the province’s trade ties to the United States as the threat of tariffs on our exports looms under president-elect Donald Trump.
Report author and council policy director Jairo Yunis says sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ is less reliant on direct trade with the U.S. compared with other provinces. However, warned Yunis, “the interconnected nature of sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½’s economy means no province would be immune to the ripple effects of reduced U.S.-sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ trade.”
Here is a glance at the numbers:
- 54 per cent: The province’s share of total merchandise exports going to the U.S. in 2023, totalling $30.4 billion in goods to the U.S. and seven per cent of its GDP — which is below the pre-COVID (2015-2019) average of eight per cent.
- $8.2 billion: The value of energy exported to the U.S. (59 per cent is natural gas, 14 per cent is electricity)
- $7: For every $10 of energy, forestry products, metals and minerals, and farm, fishing and intermediate food products produced, $7 worth is shipped to the U.S.
- 47 per cent: The percentage of goods flowing to West Coast states: Washington (32), California (11) and Oregon (4).
- Five per cent: The percentage of jobs in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ directly tied to U.S.-bound exports
- 136,000: The number of jobs in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ directly tied to U.S.-bound exports (2019).
The council’s report relied on Statistics sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ and provincial trade data.