OTTAWA— Exporting of printing is a key component of the Canadian printing industry . The Export Development Corporation (EDC) does surveys of exporters including printers , In the 2019 year-end , the outlook of Canadian exporters fell to its lowest level in eight years. Protectionism, trade tensions and economic concerns all contributed to their declining confidence. Trade protectionism is still affecting Canadian exporters’ global strategies and nearly half expect this key concern to increase in the year ahead. Significantly fewer respondents held negative opinions of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) trade deal. Those who think the next global recession is imminent in 2020 have a lower TCI score than those who think it will be 2021 or later (63.4 versus 70.8). This  survey was conducted in November to December 2019 and released Feb. 4, 2020. Twice a year, EDC surveys 1,000 Canadian exporters. The results are a pulse check of Canadian exporters’ level of confidence and their expectations of international trade opportunities over the next six months.