Idaho exports are down by 38 percent overall so far in 2009, but exports to Canada are down "only" 23 percent.

While Singapore, Idaho's No. 1 export market, is interested primarily in the semiconductor trade, Canada is interested in a wide variety of Idaho products — including locomotives, the state's largest export north of the border.

Due to the lack of tariffs and trade barriers, Canada provides a "learn-to-export" market for Idaho's smaller and mid-sized companies, state Commerce Department Director Don Dietrich told the Statesman editorial board recently. "Canada is just a great proving ground."

The facts about trade between Idaho and Canada underscore the importance of this week's meeting of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, a public-private consortium including five Northwest states, three Canadian provinces and the Yukon Territory. The Boise conference has drawn about 500 people, including politicians and business leaders from Idaho, the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.

Idaho politicians clearly should be talking about public policy issues with their Canadian counterparts — issues ranging from border security to energy. Similarly, businesses clearly have a stake in maintaining and growing their markets in Canada. Right now, these markets provide some much-needed stability to the state's export economy.

It's a fine line. Yes, the Commerce Department should be alarmed about the state's shrinking exports to high-tech trade partners such as Singapore. The state's position within the high-tech sector feels tenuous these days, and can understand the angst within the Valley's tech community. The state cannot market diverse goods to Canada, to the exclusion of supporting high-tech. But the state also cannot afford to ignore trading partners such as Canada.

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