Connect with us
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=12]

Alberta

How natural gas supports one of Canada’s largest manufacturing sectors

Published

6 minute read

Worker inspecting parts from plastic injection moulding machine in plastics factory. Getty Images photo

From the Canadian Energy Centre

By Deborah Jaremko

‘When you think about the demand for more sustainable outcomes: clean air, clean water, clean energy, safe, nutritious, abundant food and electric vehicles, that’s more and more and more chemistry’

 

Canada’s chemical industry sold a record $72.7 billion of product last year amid recovery from COVID-19 and strong consumer demand, according to the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC).  

Natural gas is a key input to the chemistry sector, the broad term that refers to manufacturing a myriad of products used in everyday items from plastics to agriculture and pharmaceuticals.   

“Chemistry products go into 95 per cent of finished goods. It’s an important sector,” says CIAC president Bob Masterson. 

“It’s a sector that can grow as long as we fancy improving our lives and building a better world for tomorrow.” 

Chemicals in Canada 

Canada’s chemistry industry is the country’s fourth largest manufacturing sector by value of sales after food ($147 billion), transportation equipment ($119 billion), and petroleum/coal products ($118 billion). 

It is primarily centered in Ontario, Alberta and Quebec.  

The CIAC publishes an annual report on the sector’s activity using Statistics Canada data, separated into two categories: chemicals overall, and industrial chemicals.  

Chemicals overall includes manufacturing of soaps, cleaning compounds, paints, coatings and adhesives, pesticides and fertilizers, pharmaceuticals, rubbers and synthetic fibres, and basic chemicals.  

Industrial chemicals refers to the manufacturing of intermediate products used as inputs by industries including plastic and rubber products, forest products, transportation equipment, clothing, perfume and cosmetics, construction and pharmaceuticals.   

Global Growth  

According to Vantage Market Research, the global chemical market was valued at US$584 billion in 2022. It’s expected to grow by more than 55 per cent in the coming years to reach US$917 billion by 2030.  

This isn’t just driven population growth, Masterson says.  

“When you think about the demand for more sustainable outcomes: clean air, clean water, clean energy, safe, nutritious, abundant food and electric vehicles, that’s more and more and more chemistry,” he says.  

“Some of the predictions are that the volumes of chemistry will double in the next 20 years. Canada and Alberta in particular are exceptionally well positioned to help meet future market demand for these products. The demand is not going away. There’s no question about that.” 

Jobs 

In 2022, Canada’s chemicals sector directly employed 90,800 people, or approximately the population size of Sudbury, Ontario. The industry paid about $7 billion in salary and wages.  

That’s the direct impact of employment in the chemistry sector, but the CIAC estimates the full benefit to Canadians to be much higher as a result of indirect economic activity it supports.   

CIAC estimates that every job in Canada’s chemistry sector creates another five indirect jobs in other parts of the economy. This means the sector supported 454,000 jobs across Canada in 2022.  

Industrial chemicals alone directly employed 17,100 people and indirectly supported 85,600 jobs in the broader Canadian economy last year, the CIAC says. 

Rising Trade 

At a value of $72.7 billion, Canada’s overall chemical industry sales were their highest ever in 2022 – a 30 per cent increase compared to 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Industrial chemicals sales reached a record $34.2 billion, a 32 per cent increase compared to 2019.  

Exports also increased last year, rising to a value of $52.8 billion compared to $45.9 billion in 2021. Of that, the sector exported $24.8 billion of industrial chemicals, up from $22.5 billion the previous year. 

The United States is Canada’s main customer for chemical exports, representing 76 per cent of exports or $40.1 billion in 2022. The next largest export markets are China ($1.86 billion), the Netherlands ($1.7 billion), and the United Kingdom ($1.1 billion). 

The Canada Advantage 

Canada has distinct advantages as a chemical manufacturer and exporter including growing access to global markets, CIAC says.  

In Alberta, the main advantage is access to low-cost natural gas resources – specifically valuable natural gas liquids like ethane, propane and butane.  

“The rich abundance of natural gas liquids that come out of the ground when we drill for natural gas let Alberta be a low-cost chemistry producer despite being pretty much the only large chemistry industry worldwide that’s not on tidewater,” Masterson says.  

Responsible Care 

Since 1985, Canada’s chemistry industry has operated under an initiative called Responsible Care that encourages companies to innovate for safer and greener products.  

CIAC reports that Responsible Care is now practiced in 73 countries and by 96 of the 100 largest chemical producers in the world. 

Since 2005, CIAC members have reduced CO2 equivalent emissions by 13 per cent; reduced sulphur dioxide emissions by 94 per cent, and virtually eliminated large scale safety incidents. Since 2012, CIAC members have also reduced net water consumption by 13 per cent. 

“We’re not standing in place,” Masterson says. 

Todayville is a digital media and technology company. We profile unique stories and events in our community. Register and promote your community event for free.

Follow Author

Alberta

Big win for Alberta and Canada: Statement from Premier Smith

Published on

Premier Danielle Smith issued the following statement on the April 2, 2025 U.S. tariff announcement:

“Today was an important win for Canada and Alberta, as it appears the United States has decided to uphold the majority of the free trade agreement (CUSMA) between our two nations. It also appears this will continue to be the case until after the Canadian federal election has concluded and the newly elected Canadian government is able to renegotiate CUSMA with the U.S. administration.

“This is precisely what I have been advocating for from the U.S. administration for months.

“It means that the majority of goods sold into the United States from Canada will have no tariffs applied to them, including zero per cent tariffs on energy, minerals, agricultural products, uranium, seafood, potash and host of other Canadian goods.

“There is still work to be done, of course. Unfortunately, tariffs previously announced by the United States on Canadian automobiles, steel and aluminum have not been removed. The efforts of premiers and the federal government should therefore shift towards removing or significantly reducing these remaining tariffs as we go forward and ensuring affected workers across Canada are generously supported until the situation is resolved.

“I again call on all involved in our national advocacy efforts to focus on diplomacy and persuasion while avoiding unnecessary escalation. Clearly, this strategy has been the most effective to this point.

“As it appears the worst of this tariff dispute is behind us (though there is still work to be done), it is my sincere hope that we, as Canadians, can abandon the disastrous policies that have made Canada vulnerable to and overly dependent on the United States, fast-track national resource corridors, get out of the way of provincial resource development and turn our country into an independent economic juggernaut and energy superpower.”

Continue Reading

Alberta

Energy sector will fuel Alberta economy and Canada’s exports for many years to come

Published on

From the Fraser Institute

By Jock Finlayson

By any measure, Alberta is an energy powerhouse—within Canada, but also on a global scale. In 2023, it produced 85 per cent of Canada’s oil and three-fifths of the country’s natural gas. Most of Canada’s oil reserves are in Alberta, along with a majority of natural gas reserves. Alberta is the beating heart of the Canadian energy economy. And energy, in turn, accounts for one-quarter of Canada’s international exports.

Consider some key facts about the province’s energy landscape, as noted in the Alberta Energy Regulator’s (AER) 2023 annual report. Oil and natural gas production continued to rise (on a volume basis) in 2023, on the heels of steady increases over the preceding half decade. However, the dollar value of Alberta’s oil and gas production fell in 2023, as the surging prices recorded in 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine retreated. Capital spending in the province’s energy sector reached $30 billion in 2023, making it the leading driver of private-sector investment. And completion of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project has opened new offshore export avenues for Canada’s oil industry and should boost Alberta’s energy production and exports going forward.

In a world striving to address climate change, Alberta’s hydrocarbon-heavy energy sector faces challenges. At some point, the world may start to consume less oil and, later, less natural gas (in absolute terms). But such “peak” consumption hasn’t arrived yet, nor does it appear imminent. While the demand for certain refined petroleum products is trending down in some advanced economies, particularly in Europe, we should take a broader global perspective when assessing energy demand and supply trends.

Looking at the worldwide picture, Goldman Sachs’ 2024 global energy forecast predicts that “oil usage will increase through 2034” thanks to strong demand in emerging markets and growing production of petrochemicals that depend on oil as the principal feedstock. Global demand for natural gas (including LNG) will also continue to increase, particularly since natural gas is the least carbon-intensive fossil fuel and more of it is being traded in the form of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Against this backdrop, there are reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for Alberta’s energy sector, particularly if the federal government dials back some of the economically destructive energy and climate policies adopted by the last government. According to the AER’s “base case” forecast, overall energy output will expand over the next 10 years. Oilsands output is projected to grow modestly; natural gas production will also rise, in part due to greater demand for Alberta’s upstream gas from LNG operators in British Columbia.

The AER’s forecast also points to a positive trajectory for capital spending across the province’s energy sector. The agency sees annual investment rising from almost $30 billion to $40 billion by 2033. Most of this takes place in the oil and gas industry, but “emerging” energy resources and projects aimed at climate mitigation are expected to represent a bigger slice of energy-related capital spending going forward.

Like many other oil and gas producing jurisdictions, Alberta must navigate the bumpy journey to a lower-carbon future. But the world is set to remain dependent on fossil fuels for decades to come. This suggests the energy sector will continue to underpin not only the Alberta economy but also Canada’s export portfolio for the foreseeable future.

Jock Finlayson

Senior Fellow, Fraser Institute
Continue Reading

Trending

X