OTTAWA, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Canada's merchandise trade balance rose slightly in August, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday from Ottawa.
From July to August, exports rose 1.8 percent month to month. A faster gain in imports, up 2.1 percent, however, meant the trade deficit rose from $1.2 billion in July to $1.3 billion in August, the data agency said
Imports rose to $41.1 billion with volumes up 1.2 percent and prices up 0.9 percent.
The agency said rising imports included energy products, aircraft and other transportation items, and motor vehicles and automobile parts.
Imports from countries other than the United States rose 5.8 percent in the month to $14.9 billion, pushed by imports of crude oil and crude bitumen.
Exports to countries other than the United States also rose, climbing 1.6 percent to $9.7 billion. This pushed the trade deficit with other nations to $5.3 billion in August from $4.5 billion in July.
In trade with the United States, exports rose 1.9 percent to $30.1 billion, near a two-year peak, while imports rose 0.1 percent to $26.1 billion. That created a growing surplus in trade with Canada's neighbor to the south, which rose from $3.4 billion to $4 billion.
