--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/borderless-energy-how-an-integrated-us-canada-natural-gas-market-keeps-energy-affordable-reliable-and-competitive-across-north-america/" title: "Borderless Energy: How an integrated US – Canada natural gas market keeps energy affordable, reliable, and competitive across North America" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-31T14:44:18+00:00" date_modified: "2026-08-03T07:10:34+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" country_focus: - "Canada" - "United States" research_category: - "Productivity" research_theme: - "Sector/Industry Analysis" - "Trade" featured_image: "" status: "publish" --- # Borderless Energy: How an integrated US – Canada natural gas market keeps energy affordable, reliable, and competitive across North America Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/borderless-energy-how-an-integrated-us-canada-natural-gas-market-keeps-energy-affordable-reliable-and-competitive-across-north-america/ # Borderless Energy: How an integrated US – Canada natural gas market keeps energy affordable, reliable, and competitive across North America [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2026-02.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Shariati, Alisaleh. 2026. “Borderless Energy: How an Integrated US–Canada Natural Gas Market Keeps Energy Affordable, Reliable, and Competitive across North America.” CSLS Research Report 2026-02. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. [https://csls.ca/research/borderless-energy-how-an-integrated-us-canada-natural-gas-market-keeps-energy-affordable-reliable-and-competitive-across-north-america/](https://csls.ca/research/borderless-energy-how-an-integrated-us-canada-natural-gas-market-keeps-energy-affordable-reliable-and-competitive-across-north-america/) ([csls.ca](https://csls.ca/research/borderless-energy-how-an-integrated-us-canada-natural-gas-market-keeps-energy-affordable-reliable-and-competitive-across-north-america/)) ## Author: - Alisaleh Shariati Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 2026-02 June 2026 56 pages ## Related research [New Estimates of Manufacturing Productivity Growth for Canada and the United States Andrew Sharpe March 1999 | Report 1999-02 | 21 pages](https://csls.ca/research/new-estimates-of-manufacturing-productivity-growth-for-canada-and-the-united-states/) [Productivity Trends in the Construction Sector: A Case of Lagging Technical Progress Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) November 2001 | Report 2001-03 | 177 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-the-construction-sector-a-case-of-lagging-technical-progress/) [Productivity Trends in Natural Resources Industries in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01a | 69 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-natural-resources-industries-in-canada/) [Productivity in the Forest Products Sector: A Review of the Literature Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-02 | 28 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-in-the-forest-products-sector-a-review-of-the-literature/) [An Analysis of Productivity Trends in the Forest Products Sector in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) February 2003 | Report 2003-01b | 64 pages](https://csls.ca/research/an-analysis-of-productivity-trends-in-the-forest-products-sector-in-canada/) [The Canada-Atlantic Canada Manufacturing Productivity Gap: A Detailed Analysis Andrew Sharpe December 2003 | Report 2003-08 | 127 pages](https://csls.ca/research/the-canada-atlantic-canada-manufacturing-productivity-gap-a-detailed-analysis/) [Productivity Growth in Service Industries: A Canadian Success Story Someshwar Rao, Andrew Sharpe, Jianmin Tang February 2004 | Report 2004-01 | 58 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-growth-in-service-industries-a-canadian-success-story/) [Report on Productivity Trends in Selected Natural Resource Industries in Canada Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) October 2004 | Report 2004-06 | 67 pages](https://csls.ca/research/report-on-productivity-trends-in-selected-natural-resource-industries-in-canada/) [Productivity Trends in the Coal Mining Industry in Canada Jeremy Smith October 2004 | Report 2004-07 | 43 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-the-coal-mining-industry-in-canada/) [Productivity Trends in the Gold Mining Industry in Canada Jeremy Smith October 2004 | Report 2004-08 | 43 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-trends-in-the-gold-mining-industry-in-canada/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn Energy policy has consequences that extend well beyond producers and pipelines to impact household and business costs. In North America, a key factor keeping energy affordable is the flow of Canadian natural gas into US markets. When gas moves freely across the border, households and businesses save billions of dollars. When gas trade is disrupted, those additional costs are passed on to consumers through higher heating bills, higher electricity prices, and higher costs for goods and services. This makes an integrated Canada–US natural gas market a major competitive advantage for both countries. It lowers energy costs, strengthens electricity reliability, supports manufacturing, and helps meet rapidly growing demand from data centers and other energy intensive industries. Preserving and strengthening this integration should be a priority for policymakers on both sides of the border. This makes an integrated Canada–US natural gas market a major competitive advantage for both countries. It lowers energy costs, strengthens electricity reliability, supports manufacturing, and helps meet rapidly growing demand from data centers and other energy intensive industries. Preserving and strengthening this integration should be a priority for policymakers on both sides of the border. La politique énergétique a des répercussions qui vont bien au-delà des producteurs et des pipelines, puisqu’elle influe sur les coûts assumés par les ménages et les entreprises. En Amérique du Nord, l’acheminement du gaz naturel canadien vers les marchés américains constitue un facteur essentiel au maintien de prix abordables de l’énergie. Lorsque le gaz circule librement de part et d’autre de la frontière, les ménages et les entreprises économisent des milliards de dollars. Lorsque les échanges de gaz sont perturbés, les coûts supplémentaires sont refilés aux consommateurs sous forme de factures de chauffage plus élevées, de prix de l’électricité plus élevés et d’une hausse du coût des biens et des services. Un marché intégré du gaz naturel entre le Canada et les États-Unis représente donc un avantage concurrentiel majeur pour les deux pays. Il réduit les coûts de l’énergie, renforce la fiabilité de l’approvisionnement en électricité, soutient le secteur manufacturier et contribue à répondre à la croissance rapide de la demande provenant des centres de données et d’autres industries à forte intensité énergétique. La préservation et le renforcement de cette intégration devraient constituer une priorité pour les décideurs publics des deux côtés de la frontière. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls2026-02.pdf)