Canada retained a services-trade surplus in September, but it narrowed as imports grew faster than exports. Statistics Canada’s November 4 release reports imports of $21.0 billion and exports of $21.4 billion, increases of 1.5 percent and 0.9 percent respectively.

The agency reports the services surplus at $0.3 billion, down from $0.5 billion in August. Published totals are rounded, so subtracting the displayed headline values does not necessarily reproduce the reported balance exactly. These are September measurements released today, not a reading of November trade.

Commercial services drove most of the import increase, rising 2.7 percent to $12.1 billion. They also supplied most of the export gain, increasing 1.1 percent to $13.1 billion. Travel-service exports rose 0.7 percent, while transportation-service exports edged up 0.2 percent.

The wider goods-and-services balance was a $5.7 billion surplus in September. That broader total includes merchandise trade and should not be confused with services alone. The next release, covering October services trade, is scheduled for December 8.