Last week, the PA Chamber honored the important and long-standing economic and diplomatic relationship between Pennsylvania and Canada at a reception at the PA Chamber offices in Harrisburg. The event included business leaders; members of the PA General Assembly; Consul General of Canada in New York, Tom Clark; Quebec’s Delegate General, David Brulotte; and former U.S. Ambassador to Canada and long-time Pennsylvania business and civic leader, David Cohen.

 

In addition to enjoying networking and refreshments, the guests celebrated the importance of the Pennsylvania-Canada relationship, underscoring our shared values and deep economic ties. In remarks to the audience, PA Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein highlighted several companies that operate in the Commonwealth and Canada, and shared key economic facts, including:

 

• Canada is Pennsylvania’s largest export market, with about 27 percent of the Commonwealth’s total exports going to Canada.
• Pennsylvania sells more goods to Canada than its next four largest foreign markets combined.
• Each year, we export $1.7 billion in services and $14.3 billion in goods to Canada.
• Our top exports include everything from equipment and machinery to minerals and metals, and our partnership spans countless industries that generate billions in annual revenue.

 

Our reliance on Canadian imports is equally significant.

• Pennsylvania imports $13.6 billion in goods from Canada each year.
• This long-standing relationship has been vital to our economic success, with imports ranging from crude petroleum, pharmaceuticals, plastics, aluminum, etc.

 

Bernstein noted that our partnership is at a pivotal moment, and as Pennsylvania’s leading business advocate, the PA Chamber is proud to stand with our Canadian friends and partners as we work toward policies that strengthen our state and respective nations. As we move forward, it’s important to remember our shared goals of wanting resilient, future-focused economies where everyone can thrive and benefit from trade partnerships. We look forward to continuing this journey together for many years to come.