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    01 / RESEARCH QUESTIONS · Aug 2026

    What do you want to investigate?

    Standard view
    OBOR / ECONOMIC RESEARCH / QUESTION LIBRARY

    QUESTIONS ARE THE STARTING POINT

    Choose an investigation.

    Start with a variable, business constraint, or one of four practical entry points.

    Research questions across verified evidence and open gaps
    Research questions

    Questions are ranked using material trade flows, contributions, provincial contrasts and baseline reliability. Rankings are editorial navigation aids, not impact estimates.

    Verified customs data · evidence status accompanies each question
    WORKSPACE PARAMETERS
    Generate Report ↗

    Canada · domestic exports to China · all merchandise

    C$3.81BCustoms · unadjustedDifferent basis from BOP headline
    +C$1.33B+53.8% YoYversus the same month last year

    Energy products account for the largest share of Canada's annual export increase to China.

    Movements in other sections may offset some of the gain.

    Largest annual movements · by commodity

    Select a bar to investigate its commodity or province across the historical record.

    1. Energy products+C$576M

      Would the national gain persist without Alberta’s +C$661M increase?

    2. Farm, fishing and intermediate food products+C$424M

      Does Saskatchewan’s +C$251M increase warrant reviewing regional export concentration?

    3. Metal ores and non-metallic minerals+C$150M

      Before revisiting capacity plans, how much of this gain reflects volume rather than price?

    RESEARCH VIEW / HISTORICAL EVIDENCE

    The movement, in full historical context.

    A longer view of the same geography, commodity and trade direction.

    Latest verified month
    Loading verified historical evidence…

    Historical trade values describe recorded movements; they do not by themselves establish causes, quantities, or economic impact.

    02 / TRADE EVIDENCE

    Canada–China trade evidence

    Read the national totals, trace the changes, and compare provinces and commodities.

    Full trade research ↗
    CANADIAN IMPORTS FROM CHINA01 / 03
    C$6.32BBOP · seasonally adjusted
    Imports by country of export
    +6.3% MoM · +18.4% YoY
    TOTAL CANADIAN EXPORTS TO CHINA02 / 03
    C$4.26BBOP · seasonally adjusted
    Exports by destination
    +1.5% MoM · +55.5% YoY
    CANADA'S TRADE BALANCE03 / 03
    −C$2.06BBOP · seasonally adjusted
    Exports minus imports
    Merchandise trade deficit
    Provincial figures: customs basis · different from this headline.
    Why the totals differBOP headline: imports grouped by country of export, adjusted for national accounts and seasonality. Customs research: imports grouped by country of origin, unadjusted, with commodity and provincial detail. These are distinct measures—not directly interchangeable.Statistics Canada methodology ↗

    WHAT CHANGED

    Largest annual trade movements

    Aug 2026 vs. Aug 2025

    Imports from China ↑ / ↓ YoY

    1. Electronic & electrical equipment+C$331M
    2. Consumer goods+C$316M
    3. Motor vehicles & parts+C$236M

    Domestic exports to China ↑ / ↓ YoY

    1. Energy products+C$576M
    2. Farm & food products+C$424M
    3. Metal ores & minerals+C$150M

    PROVINCIAL RECORDS

    Provincial trade concentration

    Customs basis
    Customs-assigned trade, not final destinationAug 2026
    1. OntarioC$4.83B
    2. British ColumbiaC$2.56B
    3. QuebecC$2.09B
    4. AlbertaC$2.09B

    COMMODITIES / PROVINCES / TRADE FLOWS

    Follow the trade across Canada.

    National totals reveal the direction. The provinces and commodity sections show where the movements are taking place. Explore all 12 sections and 13 provinces and territories, with the latest values and their changes from a year earlier.

    STATISTICS CANADA · 12-10-0175-01AUG 2026 / AUG 2025Customs basis · unadjusted · CAD
    13 provinces & territories12 commodity sections2 trade directionsComparable month YoY
    OBOR / TRADE COMPARISON / A

    A / PROVINCIAL COMPARISON

    Where is the trade concentrated?

    Rank every province and territory within any commodity section. Compare its latest monthly value with the same month last year.

    Comparison period

    INTERACTIVE RANKING

    Provincial ranking

    Loading verified comparison…

    Loading verified figures…

    View detailed data tableFull comparison · five measures
    Province / territoryLatest monthChange YoYChange %Share of Canada
    OntarioC$4.50B——50.4%
    British ColumbiaC$1.67B——18.7%
    QuebecC$1.67B——18.7%
    Canada · totalC$8.92B——100%

    Imports are attributed to the province of customs clearance, which may differ from the final destination. All figures use the customs-basis series.

    Customs basis · unadjusted · same-month year-over-year comparison. Official Statistics Canada data ↗

    OBOR / TRADE COMPARISON / B

    B / COMMODITY SECTION COMPARISON

    Which commodity sections are moving?

    Move from Canada to any province or territory. See the merchandise sections gaining or losing the most ground, in dollars and percentages.

    Comparison period

    INTERACTIVE RANKING

    Commodity-section ranking

    Loading verified comparison…

    Loading verified figures…

    View detailed data tableFull comparison · five measures
    Commodity sectionLatest monthChange YoYChange %Share of trade
    Energy productsC$1.42B+C$576M+68.7%37.2%
    Farm, fishing and intermediate food productsC$618M+C$424M+218.5%16.2%
    Metal ores and non-metallic mineralsC$787M+C$150M+23.6%20.7%
    All merchandiseC$3.81B——100%

    Domestic exports are attributed to province of origin. Special transactions form a separate statistical category; small bases can create outsized percentage changes.

    Customs basis · unadjusted · same-month year-over-year comparison. Official Statistics Canada data ↗

    OBOR / TRADE BALANCE / HISTORICAL PROVINCIAL RECORDS

    CANADA–CHINA / PROVINCIAL TRADE BALANCES

    Explore provincial trade balances over time.

    Compare customs-recorded annual balances across provinces and territories, then follow any region through the available historical record. Each annual window covers twelve consecutive months.

    Open to load verified historical figures.

    CUSTOMS-BASIS / NOMINAL CAD

    Domestic exports to China—
    Imports from China—
    Exports minus imports—

    Balance change relative to the preceding twelve months.

    PROVINCIAL COMPARISON

    Provincial trade balances

    Open to load rankings…

    HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

    Balance over time

    Choose a province to explore its history…

    View the historical data tableSource values · exports, imports & balances
    12 months endingDomestic exportsImportsNet balance

    Method and limits. Each balance is domestic exports to China minus imports from China, summed across a complete twelve-month period. Source: Statistics Canada 12-10-0175-01 · customs basis · unadjusted · nominal CAD. Exports are attributed by province of production; imports by customs clearance, which may differ from where goods are consumed. Missing monthly observations withhold the affected annual balance. These provincial figures are not directly comparable to the seasonally adjusted national balance-of-payments headline card. Official data ↗

    Method. Year-over-year comparisons use August 2026 against August 2025 and refresh as new monthly verified data arrives. A missing prior-year value or zero denominator is shown without a percentage. These customs-basis trade figures differ from the seasonally adjusted balance-of-payments totals above. Statistics Canada source ↗

    7 verified market-access conditions tracked across Canada–China trade. View policy exposure →

    Sector and provincial comparisons: customs basis, unadjusted. These figures are not additive to balance-of-payments totals. Official source ↗

    03 / CHINA'S ECONOMIC CONDITIONS

    China's economic conditions

    Examine production, consumption and input costs, then test their relevance to your business.

    FROM INVESTIGATION TO INTELLIGENCE

    Where does China’s economy matter to your business?

    Select the commercial exposure you want to understand. Each path leads to evidence you can examine.

    Are buyers in my category becoming more or less active?

    Use Chinese consumer and industrial indicators to choose which sectors to examine. Then compare Canada's measured exports by commodity and province. An aggregate growth rate cannot establish demand for your product.

    Investigate Canadian exports →
    UNDERLYING EVIDENCE

    Four economic indicators

    Source-linked measurements · reporting periods vary

    Evidence boundariesThese figures describe conditions inside China and have different reporting periods. PMI is an index, not a growth rate; the input-price figure counts products, not total price change. None alone establishes causation or a measured Canadian business outcome.

    04 / MARKET ACCESS

    Market access and deadlines

    Verify applicable policy conditions, effective dates and eligibility before acting.

    Open Decision Watch ↗

    DECISION WATCH

    Verify before the deadline

    Loading verified market-access deadlines…

    Check eligibility against primary rules before quoting or shipping.

    Review conditions and dates →
    ——Verified date

    TRADE FLOW MONITOR

    Canada–China merchandise trade, without the narrative layer.

    A monthly aggregate view from Statistics Canada. Use it to see direction and magnitude; use product-level and company-specific evidence before drawing a commercial conclusion.

    2026-08

    6,322.9M

    Imports from China

    +6.3% MoM

    2026-08

    4,259.0M

    Exports to China

    +1.5% MoM

    2026-08

    -2,063.9M

    Trade balance

    Deficit widened 17.8% MoM

    BOP ≠ customs: These headlines measure macroeconomic trade on an adjusted BOP basis. Detailed merchandise research below uses unadjusted customs records. For imports, BOP groups by country of export; customs groups by country of origin. Methodology ↗

    NEW DEPTH / CANADA–CHINA

    What is actually moving?

    Customs · unadjusted · imports by country of origin. Explore Canada–China merchandise trade by province and 12 broad commodity sections. These figures are not directly comparable with the BOP totals above.

    The verified commodity dataset has not been loaded. National figures remain available above.

    Continue with product evidence Inspect reviewed HS6 categories, product histories and contextual sources in Tool 06.

    INDUSTRY CONTEXT / ALL COUNTRIES

    Canada's broader industry mix

    NAICS industry trade across all trading partners, not bilateral Canada–China figures. Use this only as national industry context; it does not establish China exposure.

    Verified all-country industry data has not been loaded.

    RECENT HISTORY

    Monthly flows

    MonthImports from ChinaExports to ChinaTrade balance
    2026-086,322.9M4,259.0M-2,063.9M
    2026-075,949.1M4,197.3M-1,751.9M
    2026-065,484.1M3,828.2M-1,656.0M
    2026-055,962.9M4,037.8M-1,925.1M
    2026-045,685.6M3,979.1M-1,706.5M
    2026-036,086.3M3,370.9M-2,715.4M
    2026-025,572.3M3,625.2M-1,947.2M
    2026-015,745.7M3,117.2M-2,628.4M
    2025-125,378.0M3,040.4M-2,337.5M
    2025-115,638.4M3,631.7M-2,006.7M
    2025-105,178.0M3,461.3M-1,716.7M
    2025-094,679.7M2,659.3M-2,020.4M
    Source and scope

    Statistics Canada · International merchandise trade for all countries and by Principal Trading Partners, monthly · Balance of payments · Seasonally adjusted. This monitor shows aggregate Canada–China merchandise trade. It does not identify product-level demand, causation, or company-specific exposure. View source →

    Continue investigating

    Trade values are a starting point.

    These environments investigate different evidence. Trade totals alone do not establish market access, conditions inside China, or consequences for a particular industry.

    HS 6 / REVIEWED CANADA–CHINA PRIORITIES

    Trace individual products

    A selective set of Canada–China HS6 categories admitted for economic importance, policy exposure or strategic supply relevance. Reviewed categories can be selected, but values appear only after verified customs observations are available. HS6 describes commodity classes, not individual commercial products. Customs-basis and unadjusted; these figures are separate from the totals and product sections above.

    Product-level data is not yet verified. No trade values are inferred.

    OBOR / HISTORICAL TRADE RECORD

    Canada · domestic exports to China · Total of all merchandise

    Loading verified monthly evidence…

    ← Research tools

    Choose the series

    Independent investigation

    Loading verified historical evidence…

    Source and limits. Statistics Canada merchandise trade, table 12-10-0175-01; monthly customs basis, unadjusted, nominal CAD millions. The current analysis is descriptive, not a causal explanation or a physical-volume measure. National balance-of-payments figures use a different statistical basis and are not combined with this series. Independent source verification in progress. Official Statistics Canada source ↗

    Continue investigating

    Which evidence should you investigate next?

    The monthly record establishes measured change, not its cause. Each destination begins independently.

    Research questions remain in the homepage question library. Each environment starts independently.