Summary
Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned that Canada could cut off energy exports to the U.S. if Donald Trump imposes a proposed 25% tariff on Canadian goods.
Ford emphasized that 60% of U.S. crude oil imports and 85% of electricity imports come from Canada, highlighting the potential impact.
Canadian leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, criticized the tariffs as harmful to both economies, while Deputy PM Chrystia Freeland suggested broader retaliatory measures.
The dispute raises concerns over trade relations and escalating economic uncertainty for both nations.
the crude you are exporting is not the same kind of crude that you’re importing, and depending on what refineries take they can make different products with more or less problems
This is exactly right. Most Canadian crude is actually tar. They have to use lighter grades of oil to dilute it to even be able to pump it.
If they cut us off, we can get more from Venezuela or the price of asphalt goes up.
Our cars, planes, trains, chemical plants, and power stations continue just fine.
Bitumen is not tar. Not technically - that comes from wood or coal - and not in practice. It has a strong bent towards asphalt, heating oil and diesel, but it has a bit of everything, and American refineries crack it into mostly gasoline.
We also produce smaller amounts of light crude, and convert some bitumen into light crude artificially as well.
You have enough domestic production to keep everything running, but you’d basically have nothing left to export if the taps were suddenly off. In practice, Canada would keep it coming and just take a financial hit with 25% tariffs. Other sectors would get messed up way worse.
I was trying to use language that would give the average nontechnical person an idea of the important aspects.
If the average person had Alberta tar sand based “oil” on one hand and technically correct tar on the other, I bet they couldn’t give a shit which was which.
I felt like you implied that it doesn’t translate to fuel, though. That’s the critical difference. So, I replied.
Yeah, Canadian crude is mostly heavy. Do you know where the Americans are sending their light crude (and why they don’t just refine it themselves)?
it looks like they do refine it, just that petroleum products are counted in petroleum exports. these then are sold everywhere, esp to countries that don’t have refineries https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/imports-and-exports.php
so crude is imported but propane, diesel and greases exported. some crude is exported to friendly countries that have no oil but have well developed chemical industries, like south korea or netherlands
OP’s source specifically says crude oil, though.
I see the problem now, the exports are listed in thousands of barrels, not millions like the import source provided.