Potatoes were first grown by settlers in New Brunswick, on Canada's Atlantic coast, as early as the mid-1600s. Today, Canada ranks as the world's 13th largest potato grower, with 2007 output of almost five million tonnes. The potato accounts for one third of all vegetable farm cash receipts, or $846 million in 2007, making it Canada's most important horticultural crop.

Since the early 1990s, Canadian potato production has expanded to meet international demand for frozen potato products. In 2006-07, Canada shipped 970 000 tonnes of frozen French fries to foreign markets, making it the second largest French fry exporter after the Netherlands. In the same period, it exported 120 000 tonnes of seed potatoes valued at $38 million (Canada is the fifth largest seed potato exporter in the world) and 470 000 tonnes of table potatoes worth $140 million.

Potatoes account for about 36 percent of all fresh and processed vegetables consumed in Canada. Despite the potato’s popularity, however, total consumption has declined from 76 kg per person in 1994 to 65 kg in 2007.