Alabama-Canada trade

A trade mission led by the state with representatives from 10 companies will be heading to Canada next week.

The group will be heading to the Southeast U.S. Canada Province Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Alabama's Commerce Department Secretary Greg Canfield says Canada is already a top destination for Alabama products and the trip is designed to capitalize on those existing ties.

Canada was Alabama's top export destination last year with shipments valued at nearly $4 billion.

Canada's consul general in Atlanta, Stephen Brereton, visited Alabama's capital to promote increased trade and garner support for the construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

Brereton told Alabama legislators Tuesday that Canada has been Alabama's top trading partner for the last four years. That included nearly $3.9 billion in exports to Canada last year. More than half of that was in vehicles and vehicle parts. Brereton says Canadian companies with operations in Alabama provide nearly 10,000 jobs.