Canadian international merchandise trade, June 2026

Released: 2026-08-04

In June, Canada's merchandise exports increased 0.4%, while imports edged up 0.2%. As a result, Canada's merchandise trade surplus with the world widened slightly from $3.7 billion in May to $3.9 billion in June. This was the fourth consecutive monthly trade surplus.

Consult the "International trade monthly interactive dashboard" to explore the most recent results of Canada's international trade in an interactive format.

Chart 1 
Merchandise exports and imports

The depreciation of the Canadian dollar and impacts on import and export values

A large proportion of import and export transactions are completed in US dollars and must be converted to Canadian dollars to compile monthly trade statistics. All other things being equal, when the Canadian dollar depreciates against the US dollar, monthly trade values expressed in Canadian dollars are higher.

In June, the average value of the Canadian dollar decreased by 1.7 cents US compared with May. This was the largest monthly decrease since October 2022. When expressed in US dollars, Canadian exports decreased 2.0% in June 2026, while imports were down 2.1%.

Higher exports of gold more than offset lower exports of energy products

Total exports were up 0.4% in June to a record $77.5 billion. This represented a fifth consecutive monthly increase, with exports rising 22.8% over this period. In June, increases were observed in 6 of the 11 product sections. In real (or volume) terms, total exports were up 1.1%.

Chart 2 
Contribution to the monthly change in exports, by product, June 2026

Exports of metal and non-metallic mineral products increased 16.5% in June. Despite a fourth consecutive monthly decrease in prices, exports of unwrought gold, silver, and platinum group metals, and their alloys—a category largely composed of unwrought gold—increased 27.9% in June and contributed the most to the monthly gain. Higher shipments of gold to the United Kingdom, as well as higher purchases of Canadian-held gold by foreign residents, were behind the sharp increase in June. This increase was partially offset by lower exports of unwrought aluminum and aluminum alloys (-28.8%). This decline follows a rise of 50.4% observed in May that was the result of higher exports to the Netherlands, Italy and Greece.

Following an increase of 15.1% in May, exports of metal ores and non-metallic minerals rose 7.3% in June. Exports of copper ores and concentrates were up 20.0% to reach a record $934 million. Higher exports to Japan, China, Finland and South Korea were behind the increase. Exports of diamonds and other non-metallic minerals (+8.9%), which rose for a sixth consecutive month, also contributed to the overall increase in the product section in June, mainly on higher exports of sulphur.

Exports of motor vehicles and parts rose 2.4% in June. This was the fifth consecutive monthly increase since the sharp decline observed in January. Exports of passenger cars and light trucks (+4.5%) increased the most in June, reaching their highest level since March 2025. The recent rise in exports of passenger cars and light trucks was associated with increased auto production in Canada.

Chart 3 
Exports of passenger cars and light trucks

The overall increase in total exports was largely offset by a 10.0% decrease in exports of energy products in June 2026. Exports of crude oil (-11.1%) contributed the most to the decrease in June, mainly driven by a decrease in prices. Exports of crude oil are estimated for the current reference month, and these estimates are subject to larger revisions during times of high price volatility. In addition, exports of refined petroleum energy products (-16.9%) decreased in June, also largely on lower prices.

Chart 4 
Exports of energy products

Higher shipments of computers and computer peripherals drive the increase in imports

Following a 0.6% increase in May, total imports edged up 0.2% to reach a record high of $73.6 billion in June. This increase occurred despite decreases observed in 9 of 11 product sections, as higher imports of electronic and electrical equipment and parts more than offset the other declines. Excluding this product section, imports were down 1.3% in June. Higher prices contributed to the monthly increase in total imports; in real (or volume) terms, total imports were down 1.5%.

Chart 5 
Contribution to the monthly change in imports, by product, June 2026

Imports of electronic and electrical equipment and parts increased 11.7% in June. Imports of computers and computer peripherals (+59.0%) rose the most to reach a record high, mainly on higher imports of processing units (of the type used in data centres) coming from the United States. Imports of computers and computer peripherals were up 36.7% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025.

Chart 6 
Imports of computers and computer peripherals

In June 2026, several product sections posted notable decreases, which moderated the increase in total imports. These product sections included industrial machinery, equipment and parts (-3.3%); consumer goods (-1.3%); and metal ores and non-metallic minerals (-3.4%).

Imports from the United States set a record high in June

Imports from the United States rose 3.0%, reaching a record in June mainly on higher imports of computers and computer peripherals. Meanwhile, exports to the United States rose 0.3%, a fifth consecutive monthly increase. As a result, Canada's trade surplus with the United States narrowed from $11.1 billion in May to $10.0 billion in June.

Chart 7 
Merchandise trade with the United States

Imports from countries other than the United States fall

Following a 2.1% increase that set a record in May, imports from countries other than the United States fell 3.7% in June. Lower imports from China, South Korea and Germany contributed the most to the decrease.

Meanwhile, exports to countries other than the United States increased 0.7% in June. Higher exports of unwrought gold to the United Kingdom were partially offset by lower exports to the Netherlands of energy products and aluminum.

Canada's trade deficit with countries other than the United States narrowed from $7.4 billion in May to $6.1 billion in June.

Chart 8 
Merchandise trade with countries other than the United States

Chart 9 
International merchandise trade balance

Exports outpace imports in the second quarter

Following a 4.6% increase in the first quarter of 2026, total exports rose 13.1% in the second quarter. This was the strongest quarterly increase in percentage terms since the third quarter of 2020. Almost half of the increase was due to higher exports of energy products, which rose in large part because of higher prices amid the conflict in the Middle East. Exports of motor vehicles and parts (+19.3%) also contributed to the overall quarterly increase. This marked a rebound following two consecutive quarterly decreases.

Following a 5.7% increase in the first quarter of 2026, total imports rose 4.2% in the second quarter. Higher imports of basic and industrial chemical, plastic and rubber products (+20.5%), motor vehicles and parts (+7.9%), and electronic and electrical equipment and parts (+11.5%) were partially offset by lower imports of metal and non-metallic mineral products (-13.4%).

With regard to quarterly results in real terms (calculated using 2017 chained dollars), exports were up 5.4% in the second quarter, while imports were up 1.4%.

Revisions to May merchandise export and import data

Imports in May, originally reported at $72.9 billion in the previous release, were revised to $73.5 billion in the current reference month's release. Exports in May, originally reported at $77.1 billion in the previous release, were revised to $77.2 billion in the current reference month's release.

Monthly trade in services

In June, monthly service exports edged down 0.2% to $20.8 billion. Meanwhile, imports of services decreased 0.4% to $21.0 billion.

When international trade in goods and services are combined, exports increased 0.3% to $98.2 billion in June, while imports edged up 0.1% to $94.7 billion. Canada's total trade surplus with the world went from $3.4 billion in May to $3.6 billion in June.

Products

The International trade statistics portal is now available on the Statistics Canada website.

The product "International trade monthly interactive dashboard" (Catalogue number71-607-X) is now available. This interactive dashboard is a comprehensive analytical tool that presents monthly changes in Canada's international merchandise trade data on a balance-of-payments basis, fully supporting the information presented every month in the Daily release.

The product "The International Trade Explorer" (Catalogue number71-607-X) is now available online.

The updated "Canada and the World Statistics Hub" (Catalogue number13-609-X) is available online. This product illustrates the nature and extent of Canada's economic and financial relationship with the world using interactive charts and tables. It provides easy access to information on trade, investment, employment and travel between Canada and a number of countries, including the United States, Mexico, China, Japan, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.

The product "Canada's international trade and investment country fact sheet" (Catalogue number71-607-X) is also available.

The online Canadian International Merchandise Trade Database is no longer available. It has been replaced by the Canadian International Merchandise Trade Web Application (Catalogue number71-607-X), a modern tool that provides trade data users with a number of enhancements.

Contact information

For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).