Canadian International Merchandise Trade

The Canadian international merchandise trade (customs-based) data are the accumulation of records of the international goods passing directly through the Canadian borders. The International Accounts and Trade division collates this data to provide the value and the destination of export or source of import by PTP for all goods that cross the Canadian borders.

When goods are imported into Canada, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) include the description and value of the merchandise, their place of origin, port of clearance, the mode of transport used, etc. These import documents are used in compiling customs-based import statistics.

Data for exports to the United States are collected via electronic transmission of United States Census Bureau data compiled from United States Customs and Border Protection documents. Non-US export data are received from Canadian exporters via electronic transmissions, or are captured from customs paper forms or summary reports submitted to the CBSA.

All data collected by the CBSA are reported in Canadian dollars. All data collected by United States Customs and Border Protection are reported in US dollars and are converted to Canadian dollars using a monthly average exchange rate.