Canada–United States Energy Trade: The $126 Billion Lifeline

Lifelines Power North America

Every day, the equivalent of more than four million barrels of oil, eight billion cubic feet of natural gas, and enough clean electricity to power millions of homes flows south across the world’s longest undefended border. In 2024, this invisible river of energy was worth approximately US$126.6 billion — making energy by far the most valuable commodity traded between Canada and the United States.
For Americans, Canada is not just a neighbor; it is the single largest, most reliable, and most secure source of imported energy. For Canadians, the U.S. market is essentially the only buyer for the vast majority of the country’s oil, natural gas, uranium, and surplus hydroelectricity. The relationship is less a “trade” in the classic sense and more a deeply integrated continental energy system.

Energy Source	Volume Exported to U.S.	Value (2024)	U.S. Market Share Supplied by Canada
Crude Oil	4.1 million barrels per day	~$84 billion	62% of all U.S. crude imports
Natural Gas	8.5 billion cubic feet per day	~$29 billion	99% of all U.S. natural gas imports
Refined Products & NGLs	~300,000 barrels per day	~$11 billion	—
Electricity (mostly hydro)	36.1 terawatt-hours (net)	~$2 billion	85% of all U.S. electricity imports
Uranium (U₃O₈)	~3,500 tonnes	~$600 million	~25% of U.S. reactor fuel
TOTAL		~$126.6 billion

Fort Nelson First Nations work hard to stay engaged in a huge oil and gas play

Harvey Behn is the General Manager of Eh-Cho Dene Enterprises in Fort Nelson, B.C., a company and a community at the centre of a huge oil and gas region in full industrial bloom. It doesn’t get any more industrially active in oil and gas than it is right now in the surroundings of Fort Nelson, says Harvey.

It is his ancestral home as much as his current home, whereas Harvey is educated in oil and gas development with a Petroleum Engineering degree from University of Wyoming. “We are riding a tsunami of new development in the oil and gas industry around us, and we are surrounded by industry, government, and then there’s us, little Indians on the bottom trying to get up on the wave and ride it to survive.”

He stares at the spending program underway by oil and gas exploration companies (the number of which are too many to count, much less name) and he reflects upon the impact to the environment, the lifestyle of people in the area, and the ways to make opportunities a reality for his community.

As general manager of Eh-Cho Dene Enterprises construction company he employs up to 120 people during major construction projects. The company history dates back to the early 1980s, and in the past 20 years the Fort Nelson Dene people have established a lot of thriving businesses that operate in the town and region; many residents of the 500-person reserve either work for Dene-owned businesses or own one themselves. (Another 300 members buy or rent homes in Fort Nelson or area.)

The current pace of business activity is a little daunting even to a professional oil man with a long career like Harvey. “Just one oil company, for example, has a $1.2 billion exploration budget to outlay in drilling and all the obligations.” Harvey’s goal is to put Eh-Cho Dene trucks and equipment into a few of these expansive operations. Fort Nelson is their epicentre of activity, a place where Harvey was born and raised. He also sits on a six-member council, while the Eh-Cho Dene company is a limited owned by the Band, and run by a six-member board of directors.

Illustrative of how busy the activity is in Fort Nelson, says Harvey, “This year there was no spring break or slow-down in exploration activity. It was non-stop this year and we expect it to be running flat-out again this coming 2011.” This is good news for the 85 percent First Nation employees under his management. It makes for a thriving reserve adjacent Fort Nelson.