Despite Canada’s position as one of the world’s top oil producers with one of the largest global oil reserves, crude oil imports into Canada have become a significant part of the country’s energy mix, particularly since 2000. According to the Canadian Energy Centre, between 1988 and 2020, Canada imported nearly nine billion barrels of crude oil from other countries, an average of over 745,000 barrels per day over the period. Crude oil imports into Canada more than doubled between 1988 and 2008, increasing from 148 million barrels to nearly 329 million barrels annually. Since 2008, crude oil imports to Canada have fallen by about 37 per cent, yet at over 206 million barrels in 2020, they remain nearly 39 per cent above the 1988 level.
