{"id":58131,"date":"2025-04-01T19:55:25","date_gmt":"2025-04-01T19:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2025\/04\/01\/is-canadian-oil-sold-to-the-u-s-at-a-discount\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T19:55:25","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T19:55:25","slug":"is-canadian-oil-sold-to-the-u-s-at-a-discount","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/2025\/04\/01\/is-canadian-oil-sold-to-the-u-s-at-a-discount\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Canadian oil sold to the U.S. at a &#8216;discount&#8217;?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> \n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<header aria-label=\"Beginning of Article\" class=\"article-header article-header--story\">\n<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\" data-aqa=\"nav-breadcrumb\">\n<p>Breadcrumb Trail Links<\/p>\n<ol class=\"breadcrumbs__items list-unstyled\">\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\">Energy<\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\">Oil &amp; Gas<\/li>\n<li class=\"breadcrumbs__item\">News<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"article-header__detail\">\n<div class=\"article-header__detail__texts\">\n<p class=\"article-subtitle\">Canada supplies around four million barrels per day to the U.S., roughly half that country&#8217;s total crude imports<\/p>\n<div class=\"callout callout--noindent flex-align-center flex-justify-between\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" data-evt=\"visible\" data-evt-typ=\"element_view\"><span class=\"callout__text\"> Get the latest from Meghan Potkins straight to your inbox <\/span><button class=\"button button--icon button--primary-alt\" data-id-login-redirect=\"https:\/\/financialpost.com\/author\/mpotkinspostmedia-com\/newsletters\/\" type=\"button\"><span class=\"button__text\">Sign Up<\/span> <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"button__icon\"> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewbox=\"0 0 11 11\" width=\"11\"><polygon points=\"1.1 0 7 6 1.1 12 0 10.9 4.8 6 0 1.1\"\/><\/svg> <\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-meta\">\n<p><span class=\"published-date__since\">Published Apr 01, 2025<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 <span class=\"updated-date__since\">Last updated 3\u00a0hours ago<\/span> \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 <span class=\"published-date__word-count\">6 minute read<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-meta__bottom\">\n<div class=\"bookmark-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"popover\" data-aqa=\"popover\" data-click-to-appear=\"True\" data-container=\"\" data-container-offset=\"\" data-no-style=\"\" data-popover-component=\"\" data-position=\"top\" data-sticky=\"\" data-tail-offset=\"200\" data-tail-position=\"right\"><button class=\"popover__trigger bookmark-button\"><span class=\"save-article-button save-article-button--default\" title=\"Save article\" data-article-id=\"cebdbe6f-baea-4512-9a3e-ab67312ece03\" data-evt-skip-click=\"true\"\/><\/button><\/p>\n<div aria-describedby=\"popover-desc-popover-bookmark\" class=\"popover__content\" hidden=\"\" role=\"dialog\">\n<div class=\"popover__content__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"popover__content__text\" id=\"popover-desc-popover-bookmark\">\n<div class=\"bookmark__popover__content\">\n<p>You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><button class=\"popover__content__close\" data-evt-skip-click=\"true\" title=\"Close\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" viewbox=\"0 0 12 12\" class=\"icon--close\" height=\"12\" version=\"1.1\" width=\"12\"><polygon points=\"12 0.95 11.05 0 6 5.05 0.95 0 0 0.95 5.05 6 0 11.05 0.95 12 6 6.95 11.05 12 12 11.05 6.95 6\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"featured-image\" data-aqa=\"featured-image\"><picture class=\"featured-image__ratio\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;h=423&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=WBl3hU8slAJLZfBw8t9tYA,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;h=846&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=KkEXhz2pMnXwLogzYYRKwA 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;h=423&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=5g8VoPy5lMnDHQAqnMjvNg,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;h=846&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=y3YOWJi-sQg3JNqBIxqscQ 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;h=354&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=mYbDPSlJBWc8hQ7aa-sIzw,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;h=708&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=ul3dgJL9HB8d9pbyFKc79Q 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;h=354&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=kPtOYHn7iJwOg9Vo0Pilsw,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;h=708&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=G9X9gT0rhUX4YmzEqkiTWw 2x\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;h=216&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=AR0GrXAKaWNe-zRxF0XeyQ,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/0402-mg-pumpjacks.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=576&amp;h=432&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=tw4KdKJJlzoyiIIRSFb8jw 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\"><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><figcaption class=\"featured-image__caption image-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Canada&#8217;s push for U.S. market share spectacularly paid off. U.S. imports of Canadian crude have doubled since 2009, while imports from Mexico and Venezuela have declined.<\/span> <span class=\"credit\">Photo by Larry MacDougal\/The Canadian Press\/Postmedia files<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<h2 class=\"visually-hidden\">Article content<\/h2>\n<p data-async=\"\">Canadian oil prices have been unexpectedly resilient so far this year despite escalating trade tensions with the United States, with the discount on Canada\u2019s benchmark heavy oil, Western Canadian Select (WCS), shrinking last week to its narrowest gap since 2020.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s repeated threats to impose tariffs on Canada since his re-election last November initially put pressure on Canadian crude prices. But since early March, when he exempted Canadian goods covered under the Canada-United-States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), and amid fresh U.S. sanctions on rival heavy oil exporter Venezuela, demand for Canadian heavy crude has been particularly strong.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_2\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment6295505733733576953167186482954240\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 2<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-2\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[6,6],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"6x6\" data-ad-loc=\"2\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[6,6],[320,50],[300,50],[300,250],[300,600]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-2\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:600px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues 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class=\"identity-divider__text\">or<\/span><span class=\"identity-divider__line\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"identity-footer identity-screen__content m-x-0 p-x-0 col-sm-6 col-md-12\"\/><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Still, on the eve of Trump\u2019s planned reveal of reciprocal tariffs against its global trading partners, there are still plenty of questions about how U.S. tariffs could impact cross-border energy trade. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif\">Here, we take a closer look at the pricing of Canada\u2019s key benchmark crude and how tariffs are influencing prices for Canada\u2019s largest export product to the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>What is Western Canadian Select?<\/h2>\n<p>WCS is the main benchmark crude for Western Canada and the definitive price marker for the heavy barrels produced from the vast oilsands deposits in northern Alberta.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">It is considered a heavy, sour crude oil and typically trades at a lower price than light, sweet crude types that are easier and cheaper to refine, such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI).<\/p>\n<p>WCS was launched in the early 2000s by a handful of large oil companies in Western Canada that were trying to sell more heavy barrels to Midwest refineries. At the time, producers were churning out dozens of different streams of crude oil of varying quality.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey had all these relatively small streams of heavy crude and it was very difficult to market those streams,\u201d Jeff Kralowetz, vice-president of business development for commodity research firm Argus Media Ltd., said.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_3\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment4680374844387267917438777747832832\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 3<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-3\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[7,7],[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-interscroller=\"7x7\" data-ad-loc=\"3\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[7,7],[300,250],[320,50],[300,50]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-3\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>The producers got together and decided to blend around 20 different grades of conventional heavy oil, synthetic crude and diluted bitumen from the oilsands at the largest oil storage hub in Canada in Hardisty, Alta., he said. The barrel they came up with closely resembles Mexico\u2019s heavy crude benchmark, Maya.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhich was important because at the time, Mexican Maya crude was one of the main heavy crudes available at the Gulf Coast,\u201d Kralowetz said. \u201cThey wanted to compete head-to-head with it, so they created a blend that looked a lot like it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Canada\u2019s push for U.S. market share spectacularly paid off. U.S. imports of Canadian crude have doubled since 2009, while imports from Mexico and Venezuela have declined.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">Canada now supplies around four million barrels per day to the U.S., roughly half that country\u2019s total crude imports.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embedded-image\" data-aqa=\"embed-image\"><picture class=\"embedded-image__ratio\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=MHX71CdnHW_OBbz47JvQVw,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=EbijElR13f1Bjl7T_j3hhg 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=564&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=IIb-pRQmw9cEMth_zatm_w,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1128&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=77KZfKiG7nrEFiyW9WD2nQ 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 1200px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=V1ANjjq71p_ASRh_NOZukQ,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=CevqQWB4VmyrjN0BsqN_UQ 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=472&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=Dxq-QYk5sOeQ_56Mkd7JsQ,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=944&amp;type=jpg&amp;sig=Nf4bA3AUp8xB2dCtT-XNZg 2x\" media=\"(min-width: 768px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"><source data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=OkkJNm8XxBni-uQ5ZG1Nvw,&#10;            https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=576&amp;type=webp&amp;sig=ChUZXds38VosUvo6OYmPsQ 2x\" media=\"(max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"data:,1w\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Oil differential chart\" class=\"embedded-image__image lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;sig=I4N92-DqFdvAZi1ab8uPsA\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=288&amp;sig=I4N92-DqFdvAZi1ab8uPsA,&#10;                https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=576&amp;sig=qgDxDxpZ_mJEHE1ZJhM_CQ 2x\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Oil-price-differential-1.png?quality=5&amp;strip=all&amp;w=100&amp;sig=UTsdg-YA5eEtuuNgFflhkQ\" height=\"837\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1000\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/figure>\n<h2>Why is the U.S. able to buy Canadian oil at a \u201cdiscount\u201d?<\/h2>\n<p>You\u2019ll often hear federal Conservatives and politicians in Alberta complain that Canadian oil is being sold to the U.S. at a discount, fetching lower returns than it could get on global markets. That isn\u2019t wrong, but it\u2019s not the whole story.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"js-widget-content article-content__widget-group article-content__widget-group--content-slot35 article-content__widget-group--newsletter-slot\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-widget__new-story-page fp-execsummary background--primary-light-gradient\" aria-labelledby=\"FinancialPostPosthaste9039962181188615556262916912054272\" data-account-id=\"b9d3df2fccd108b5eff3c44f573b2cd6\" data-aqa=\"widget-newsletter\" data-newsletter=\"single\" data-newsletter-component=\"\" data-target-list=\"FP_ExecSummary\" data-widget=\"newsletter\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-new-story-page-template\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__header__new-story-page\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__banner__new-story-page\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Posthaste\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/18.3.3\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-fp-posthaste.svg\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Posthaste<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page\">Breaking business news, incisive views, must-reads and market signals. Weekdays by 9 a.m.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"newsletter-widget__body__new-story-page\">\n<div class=\"js-replace-main__new-story-page\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__disclaimer__new-story-page text-size--tiny\">By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-submit-success\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitSuccessFP_ExecSummary\">\n<p>Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page\">A welcome email is on its way. If you don&#8217;t see it, please check your junk folder.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page newsletter__feedback--last\">The next issue of Posthaste will soon be in your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"newsletter-widget__text__new-story-page js-submit-error\" style=\"margin-top: 8px\" hidden=\"\" id=\"submitErrorFP_ExecSummary\">We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_4\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment5207883016346637565831771517353984\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 4<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-4\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"4\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-4\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>Heavy oil, such as WCS, which also has a high sulphur content, is considered a lower-quality crude and will always trade at a discount to lighter grades since it requires more costly refining and processing to produce valuable end products like gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.<\/p>\n<p>There is, however, a profitable upside for refiners that invest in the necessary upgrades to handle heavy sour crudes since heavy feedstocks are cheaper and can yield a greater range of refined products.<\/p>\n<p>Canada\u2019s barrels are also largely landlocked, with most production being far from North America\u2019s key transport hubs and refineries, and its lower price reflects higher transportation costs and Western Canada\u2019s limited access to global markets.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, WCS trades at a lower price than WTI and that difference is known as the WCS-WTI differential.<\/p>\n<p>There have also been painful periods for the Canadian oilpatch when production has outpaced available pipeline capacity, resulting in oil supply gluts that have cratered prices.<\/p>\n<p>Pipeline bottlenecks in 2018 led to the WCS-WTI differential exploding to more than US$40 per barrel, prompting the Alberta government to impose a curtailment order on production to bolster prices.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_5\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment3543791152411471610027220616085504\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 5<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-5\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"5\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-5\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>On Canada\u2019s side of the border, blowouts in the differential result in a painful contraction of revenues and economic activity, while American refiners enjoy windfall profits as their margins are boosted by dramatically cheaper crude inputs.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, there isn\u2019t a shortage of takeaway capacity in the Canadian oilpatch due to key export pipeline expansions completed in recent years, such as the Enbridge Line 3 replacement project in 2021 and the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Heading into the U.S. election last November, Canadian oil producers were enjoying the novel sensation of having plenty of pipeline capacity and consistently narrower discounts on their barrels coinciding with the start-up of TMX last May.<\/p>\n<p>Canada\u2019s only direct outlet to global markets outside the U.S., the TMX expansion more than doubled non-U.S. oil exports in the second half of 2024.<\/p>\n<p>That has helped shrink the spread between WCS and WTI, which has consistently hovered between US$10 and US$15 per barrel in the months following TMX\u2019s start-up after years of it averaging more than US$18.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_6\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment4449652885216391905949240528994304\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 6<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-6\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"6\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-6\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you only have one buyer, that buyer has a lot of leverage over your price,\u201d Kralowetz said. \u201cThe completion of TMX in May was a big step. You automatically had an improvement or a narrowing of the discount.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>How are U.S. tariffs impacting the price of WCS?<\/h2>\n<p>Oil market analyst Rory Johnston said the best way to spot the impact of U.S. tariffs on Canadian crude prices is not by looking at the relatively tight WCS-WTI differential, but at the spread between the price of a barrel of WCS in Hardisty, Alta., versus the price WCS fetches once it reaches Houston.<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\">The Hardisty-Houston price gap reflects the transportation costs associated with bringing a barrel of WCS from Alberta to complex refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast, and it ranged between US$6 and US$8 per barrel in the months before Trump\u2019s election, according to a recent analysis by Johnston in Commodity Context.<\/p>\n<p>Anything in excess of that geography-related differential baseline since the U.S. election can reasonably be chalked up to a tariff-related penalty on Canadian barrels, Johnston said.<\/p>\n<p>The tariff penalty started rising after a newly re-elected Trump began threatening tariffs on Canada and Mexico on social media, Johnston said, and then exploded in January.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_7\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment2701918238129529028523758511456256\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 7<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-7\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"7\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-7\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe got the biggest run-up initially following Alberta Premier Daniel Smith\u2019s visit to Mar-a-Lago the week before inauguration, when she came out and basically said, \u2018Guys, (tariffs) are happening and crude is not going to get exempted,&#8217;\u201d Johnston said, noting the WCS Hardisty-Houston differential reached US$12.40 per barrel at market close on Jan. 31, nearly US$5 per barrel in excess of the pre-election baseline. \u201cAt that stage, the market was essentially pricing the risk of a 25 per cent tariff.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Trump\u2019s subsequent decision to reduce tariffs on Canadian crude to 10 per cent, as well as his postponements and vacillations over the implementation of tariffs since then, has recently led to a collapse in the tariff penalty as markets seem to largely be discounting the risk of tariffs being applied to Canadian crude at all.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter that (CUSMA) exemption a couple weeks ago, that\u2019s when the market really started to just discount the risk of tariffs on Canadian crude in total, so now we\u2019re basically at almost zero risk,\u201d Johnston said.<\/p>\n<p>The overall WCS-WTI discount fell below US$10 a barrel last week, the narrowest margin since 2020.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"ad__section-border article-content__ad-group ad_counter_8\">\n<section aria-describedby=\"advertisment6526659637581716914967222096494592\" class=\"ad\">\n<p>Advertisement 8<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad__container\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\" id=\"ad__inner-8\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner__container\" data-ad=\"[[1200,250],[1200,90],[970,90],[970,250],[728,90],[300,250]]\" data-ad-loc=\"8\" data-ad-mobile=\"[[320,50],[300,50],[300,250]]\" data-aqa=\"advertisement\" id=\"ad-8\" style=\"--desktopHeight:250px;--mobileHeight:250px\">\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"ad__placeholder\">\n<p>This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<section aria-labelledby=\"moreTopicLabel350690865885149317102499811819520\" class=\"more-topic\" data-aqa=\"embed-more-topic\" data-carousel-component=\"\" data-carousel-icon-button=\"\" data-carousel-type=\"list\">\n<p>Recommended from Editorial<\/p>\n<p><button aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"more-topic__button-prev\" data-carousel-prev=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"previous\" type=\"button\"\/><\/p>\n<ol class=\"more-topic__items list-unstyled\" data-carousel-slide-list=\"\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<li data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" ceos=\"\" call=\"\" on=\"\" ottawa=\"\" to=\"\" declare=\"declare\" energy=\"\" crisis=\"\" data-carousel-item=\"\" data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\"> <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"More than a dozen Canadian oilpatch executives have signed an open letter to federal political leaders.\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilsands-0319-ph.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=rpCfhQQKyS6m9qn166JfDA\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilsands-0319-ph.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=5&amp;sig=m_y8Wj7TKBmIjuRy2vW1MA\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilsands-0319-ph.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=rpCfhQQKyS6m9qn166JfDA, https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilsands-0319-ph.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=fzBFxM0uDSOuBzvl1Z14dA 2x,&#10;                                             https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilsands-0319-ph.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=JOWP69uApUf2EXU01zZ1iQ 3x\" class=\"lazyload\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<p><span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\">Oilpatch CEOs call on Ottawa to declare energy crisis<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" has=\"\" nearly=\"\" six=\"\" times=\"\" the=\"\" natural=\"\" gas=\"\" it=\"\" thought=\"\" data-carousel-item=\"\" data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\"> <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Pumpjacks draw out oil and gas from well heads near Calgary, Alta.\" data-src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/no0314oil.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=kvqKgXZaj-8Rh2sWB0gkTg\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/no0314oil.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=5&amp;sig=exwfvcMRklYATwksbbAnaQ\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/no0314oil.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=kvqKgXZaj-8Rh2sWB0gkTg, https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/no0314oil.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=3hNIk-smMpJHVa9YmO3Asg 2x,&#10;                                             https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/no0314oil.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=fCulkWZcjLrgWCvbHQQyQw 3x\" class=\"lazyload\" height=\"96\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"96\"\/><\/picture>\n<p><span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\">Alberta has nearly six times the natural gas it thought<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" oilpatch=\"\" angst=\"\" ramps=\"\" up=\"\" amid=\"\" tariffs=\"\" data-carousel-item=\"\" data-evt=\"click\" data-evt-typ=\"click\"> <picture class=\"more-topic__item-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilpatch-tariffs-gs0310.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=jNqJndSLXUTuqENKV8uTJg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilpatch-tariffs-gs0310.jpg?h=96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=jNqJndSLXUTuqENKV8uTJg, https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilpatch-tariffs-gs0310.jpg?h=192&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=LdCutiMfEjef7bdG6xtK-Q 2x,&#10;                                             https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/financialpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/oilpatch-tariffs-gs0310.jpg?h=288&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80&amp;sig=fY0dDnyI57Li7XEjqHkutg 3x\" a=\"\" alt=\"\" announced=\"\" as=\"\" been=\"\" bevin=\"\" bit=\"\" bow=\"\" chief=\"\" class=\"lazyload\" company=\"\" corp.=\"\" earnings=\"\" executive=\"\" for=\"\" guidance=\"\" has=\"\" height=\"96\" in=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" lower-than-expected=\"\" marketplace=\"\" newly=\"\" of=\"\" oil=\"\" on=\"\" pipeline=\"\" quite=\"\" said=\"\" south=\"\" spun-off=\"\" the=\"\" there=\"\" thursday=\"\" uncertainty=\"\" width=\"96\" wirzba=\"\"\/><\/picture>\n<p><span class=\"more-topic__item-text-clamp\">Canadian oilpatch angst ramps up amid tariffs<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><button aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"more-topic__button-next\" data-carousel-next=\"\" tabindex=\"-1\" title=\"next\" type=\"button\"\/><\/section>\n<p>Markets may be reflecting a belief that Canadian oil exports, so deeply integrated into the U.S. economy, are likely to continue to be exempt from tariffs, Johnston said.<\/p>\n<p>But that may be an overcorrection, he added, given the current state of tensions between Canada and the U.S. and Trump\u2019s looming reciprocal tariffs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would personally say the risk remains higher than zero per cent,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it also confirms this initial prior thought everyone had going into this that maybe Trump will tariff lumber or autos or something, but he\u2019s not going to tariff crude. That\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\"><em>\u2022 Email: mpotkins@postmedia.com <\/em><br \/>X: @mpotkins<\/p>\n<p data-async=\"\"><em><strong>Bookmark our website and support our journalism:<\/strong> Don\u2019t miss the business news you need to know \u2014 add financialpost.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__content-group article-content__content-group--story\">\n<p>Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section class=\"article-content__share-group article-delimiter\" data-evt-val=\"{\" control_fields=\"\" data-evt-typ=\"page_scroll\">\n<p>Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n<br \/>Is Canadian oil sold to the U.S. at a &#8216;discount&#8217;?<\/a><br \/>\n<br \/>2025-04-01 19:55:25<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Breadcrumb Trail Links Energy Oil &amp; Gas News Canada supplies around four million barrels per day to the U.S., roughly half that country&#8217;s total crude imports Get the latest from&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-58131","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/58132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pantheregroup.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}