Businesses Push for U.S.-Canadian Procurement Pact

(Journal of Commerce Online – William B. Cassidy)

Executives from both sides of border visit Capitol Hill to promote agreement

Cross-border trade with Canada isn’t just about sales and profit, it’s about millions of jobs, U.S. and Canadian business executives told members of Congress this week. U.S. trade with Canada supports 8 million jobs in the United States alone, the executives said, a number that resonates on Capitol Hill when U.S. unemployment is stuck near 10%. […]

“We need to increase awareness of how matters now before Congress can affect jobs in the U.S.,” Canadian Ambassador to the United States Gary Doer said May 12. “We are the most reliable supplier of energy to the U.S., the biggest supplier of oil to the U.S., and we’re the biggest customer you’ve got,” Doer said.

A study released by the Canadian government found that the number of U.S. jobs supported by trade with Canada increased from 5.2 million in 2001 to 8 million. Total cross-border trade has been increasing at an annual rate of 7.8%, the study said. Read more here.