Canadian companies exported a record $40.8 billion worth of merchandise goods in January while imports slowed, Statistics Canada said today.

The surge in exports pushed the country’s trade surplus with the world to its highest level in more than a year.

StatsCan said exports rose for the third straight month, up 0.9%, while imports declined 2.8% to $34.4 billion in January, down from the previous month’s record $35.4 billion.

As a result, Canada’s trade surplus widened considerably to $6.3 billion from $5 billion, the largest surplus since December 2005.

Constant dollar exports – exports for which the change in prices has been removed in order to isolate the change in volumes – were slightly stronger, up 1.1%, while constant dollar imports were down a slightly more moderate 2.4%.

Exports to the United States rose 0.4% despite drops in automotive and energy products, while imports fell 2.9% as a result of widespread declines, yielding an $8.7-billion trade surplus with the Americans, the highest since January 2006.

Exports to countries other than the United States increased 2.6% to $9.6 billion as metals, drilling equipment and fishing vessels all headed overseas and imports from these countries dropped 2.6% for a trade deficit of $2.4 billion, the lowest since April 2004.