The continental imperative? Canadian international trade and finance in the twentieth century

At the beginning of the twentieth century Canada's external trading and financial links were dominated by those with the UK and the USA. By the end of the century the British link had become tenuous while the USA has increased its dominance of Canadian imports and become the overwhelmingly most important destination for Canada's exports. In the provision of foreign finance the US became progressively more important until the 1970s, since when, with increasingly globalized international capital markets, Canada has diversified its sources. These trends are charted and the principal influences behind them discussed.