Why do we import foreign oil?

Canada produces more oil than it can consume, yet we import billions of dollars of foreign oil. What gives?

Updated on

With almost 170 billion barrels in oil reserves, Canada ranks only behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela in terms of domestic oil supply. Yet we continue to import billions of dollars worth of oil every year into Eastern Canada, from places including the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Algeria and Nigeria. As well, polls in Quebec and Canada show strong support among Canadians for using domestic oil over oil from other countries.

An infographic showing where we import oil from, how many barrels per day and the cost of the imports.