Canada's Hidden Energy Dependence on America Revealed in New Data

Canada is often seen as an energy-exporting powerhouse, but parts of the country remain surprisingly dependent on American crude oil and natural gas. In fact, in 2025, Canada imported approximately $34.4 billion worth of hydrocarbons from the United States, with the U.S. supplying 83.8% of all imports by volume.

The majority of these imports went to Ontario and Quebec, which rely heavily on pipelines that cross into the United States. The Enbridge Mainline, for example, carries Canadian oil through the American Midwest before re-entering Canada at Sarnia. This means that even Canadian-owned crude supplying Canadian consumers can depend on infrastructure located on American soil.

Geography is a key factor in this dependence, as most of Canada's natural gas is produced in Alberta and British Columbia, while Ontario and Quebec are closer to the Marcellus and Utica shale fields in Pennsylvania. This makes it often cheaper and more logistically easier to move Appalachian gas north into Ontario than to transport Western Canadian gas thousands of kilometres east.