LAUSR

ABSTRACT Manufacturing supply-chains for Alberta's oil sands support the assertion that international and domestic bordering processes are not always territorial. In a previous study the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) determined that domestic exports to Alberta in this supply-chain originated primarily from Ontario and Quebec, and to a lesser degree Saskatchewan. The same study, however, also noted that an additional 50 per cent of sales came from international sources. This article examines trade statistics focusing on these specific Alberta imports, which are historically dominated by three U.S. states (Oklahoma, Illinois, and Texas) in a remarkably consistent range of product areas. Alberta's recent surge in trade with China, however, is not related to this supply-chain. As such, trade in Alberta's oil sands manufacturing supply-chain is driven by market considerations and expertise in manufacturing specific goods, as opposed to regional or borderland pressures. This supply-chain, however, is relatively underdeveloped compared to other GVCs, thereby supporting a conclusion of differentiated integration in this sub-federal sector.