MNI BRIEF: Canada Suspends Trade Reports On Lack Of US Data

Canada is suspending publication of its monthly trade balance reports starting with the one that was due on Nov. 4, saying it can't do that work because the U.S. government shutdown means it can't access some of of the required data.

"Other quarterly macroeconomic indicators compiled by Statistics Canada rely on international merchandise trade data as an input, including the quarterly balance of international payments (BOP) and the headline indicator, quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) by expenditure. If the September 2025 international merchandise trade data are unavailable when these statistics are compiled for the third quarter of 2025, Statistics Canada will produce special estimates of Canadian exports to the United States for that month," Statistics Canada said Friday. (See: MNI INTERVIEW: True Inflation Trend Hard To Pin Down- StatsCan)

"Other options may be considered if the shutdown persists for an extended period in the United States."