Canada and Saudi Arabia are similar in population and in the share of total primary energy production for which they are responsible.

However, while Saudi Arabia’s production is concentrated on crude oil and natural gas, Canada is a major producer of almost all forms of energy.

As Canadian society changes, so does the energy sector workforce. The current employment base is increasingly skewing towards an older profile.

At the same time energy workers are more diverse than ever with a substantial component of immigrant workers.

Women are taking on a greater role and the sector is a significant source of employment for Indigenous Canadians.

Canada imports 19% of its crude oil consumption from the US due mostly to the design of North American pipeline infrastructure.

US producers send crude oil to Canadian refineries, which partially offsets Canadian crude oil exports to the USA.

With great generation capacity and potential, Canada is an important exporter of electricity.

Canadian electricity is also unusually low in green house gas emissions – 82% from non-emitting sources. Canada has one of lowest emitting electricity systems in the world.

Canada exports low-emitting electricity and, in the process, exports greenhouse gas reductions by displacing higher emitting electricity sources in export markets.

It is worth noting that even with Canada’s enormous energy riches Canadians are still looking for ways to improve efficiency in energy use.

This is consistent with the time-honoured Canadian principle that the cheapest unit of energy is the one freed up by increased efficiency.

The Canadian energy sector employment is well-compensated.

Comparatively high Canadian energy worker wages reflect the technical nature and commensurate level of education necessary to work in the Canadian energy sector.

Over the last decade, more women have been working in the Canadian energy sector and the historic gender wage gap continues to close.

The growth of the number of women working in the Canadian energy workforce, has meant a growth in women assuming more senior roles in the sector.

Roughly 30% of the energy assets owned by Canadian companies are located either elsewhere in North America or overseas.

Canadian capital and energy know-how are strongly represented throughout the world.

In 2020 there was a slight reversal of a more than 10-yr upward trend in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Canadian energy sector. However, Canada continues to be an attractive destination for energy investment, as evidenced by the increase in 2021.

Canada has:

• an extensive, diverse, and rich energy resource base
• a stable democratic government
• a sound legal framework for business
• a diverse, skilled, and educated workforce
• an overall business culture strongly aligned with that of its largest trading partner, the United States
• Canada is an adjacent supplier to one of the largest energy consumers in the world