Strike at marine port terminals in July affects Canada's imports, exports

OTTAWA - A port strike at British Columbia marine terminals significantly affected Canada's imports and exports in July, Statistics Canada said Wednesday.

The strike, which activity began on July 1, disrupted regular operations for more than 13 days, the national statistical agency said, adding that Canada's international trade may also be affected by this situation in subsequent months as well, as freight backlogs continue to be cleared.

In July, customs-basis imports that were cleared in British Columbia marine ports were down 18.5 percent compared with June. This represented the strongest decline from June to July since 2005, the agency said.

Widespread declines in overall imports from countries on the Pacific Rim were observed in July on a balance-of-payments basis. Imports of goods that typically arrive through British Columbia marine ports, like consumer goods, electronic products, and industrial machinery and equipment, were down, according to the agency.

Exports leaving British Columbia marine ports also decreased in July, falling 23 percent to their lowest level since February 2020, the agency said.

In July, Canada's merchandise imports decreased 5.4 percent, while exports were up 0.7 percent. As a result, Canada's merchandise trade deficit with the world narrowed to 987 million Canadian dollars ($721 million) in July, Statistics Canada said.