Guest column: Canadians are high rollers in spending on U.S. goods

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Author: Chris Nelson

One Canadian deserves seven Americans.

No, it’s not a desperate cross-border naming, but in fact how much Ganak spends on American goods compared to the U.S. neighbors squandering our exports.

It’s an eye-opener: it’s not even close.

It’s no surprise that our politicians in the northern part of Dabai have not managed to solve this problem. After all, maybe math is hard at work. But it is time to collectively master the basic arithmetic, as it provides the perfect answer to all the bland nonsense scattered across this continent, accusing Canada of somehow depriving the United States of trade.

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We often hear these trade statistics being so endlessly touted by the current U.S. government that our ears start to revolt. For example, they announced that Canada exported $412 billion worth of goods (including our discounted oil) last year, while the United States exported $350 billion to our country.

So hey, aren’t Americans making the worst deal? After all, there is a $62 billion gap. (Of course, we use President Donald Trump’s economic logic to calculate trade, of course. But we’ll glide.)

But please wait a moment. Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, Alberta Prime Minister Danielle Smith and Ontario chief Honcho Doug Ford (along with other politicians on both sides of the border) ignore a notable fact that turns this assumed logic to the mind. Canada has a population of 41 million, while the United States has a population of 341 million.

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So when you check every Canadian consumes products compared to what each Canadian consumes, the light bulb continues. Last year, each Canadian consumed an average of $8,500 worth of U.S. goods, while each U.S. citizen consumed $1,208.

Our customers have seven times more customers than theirs.

In Las Vegas, Canadians who spend this kind of money will be considered high rollers. They are large consumers of the casino, and they send first-class airline tickets for free, as well as free hotel suites to ensure they will continue to visit the tables.

We are that gold. The second Tuesday of this month, a Canuck Shopping Special should be held on Amazon to reward our spending methods. Instead, what do we get? We are called nasty freeloaders, who should be absorbed by that relatively cheap country called the United States.

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But please stick with it. What about other big deal clothing currently feeling the heat of Trump’s endless tariff threat? Aren’t they the same boat as Canada?

At least not. There are approximately 450 million people in the European Union (European Union) as the main wealthy country. The EU exports $605 billion worth of products to the United States every year in return, and its citizens spend $370 billion on imported American goods. So on average, Europe bought $822 worth of American stuff, while Americans squandered $1,774 on good things in Europe.

What about China’s population 1.4 billion? Oh boy, the average American citizen bought $1,287 in Chinese goods, and each person spent $95.

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On Earth, there is no country or trading neighborhood of any reasonable size, and its citizens spend more money on American goods per person than Canada. We make everyone and Americans deserve to succumb to their knees and say thank you. Of course, they won’t.

But at least our politicians should start preaching this message. When it comes to cross-border trade per capita between our two countries, we are seven times as good as American consumers.

Yes, we are high rollers, not American citizens. As far as trade goes, they sit in coaches and chew meat with their own li-line sandwiches to save a few dollars.

It’s time we wake up and let them know.

Chris Nelson is a regular columnist for Postmedia Calgary Herald.

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