Minister's Letter
As Canada’s Minister of International Trade, I am pleased to welcome readers of the 2017 edition of Location Canada, which this year marks its 20th anniversary.
Global investors have long seen Canada as an innovative and growing economy that delivers secure returns. In Canada, investors find a regulatory environment that supports openness to trade, investment, and talent, with rock-solid investor protections. As the global economy enters a period of political and economic uncertainty, investors from around the world seeking an open, stable, and welcoming environment continue to see Canada as a top investment destination.
Canada provides investors with unparalleled market access. Businesses operating in Canada already benefit from preferential access to a North American market of more than 480 million consumers through the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Once the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement takes effect, this additional market will bring Canada’s free-trade access to a total of more than 40 countries — with nearly 1.2 billion of the world’s wealthiest consumers and a combined GDP of US trillion representing one half of the world’s output of goods and services.
The Canadian government has also announced a number of initiatives as part of Canada’s Innovation Agenda — an ambitious plan that fundamentally enhances how foreign investors can participate in the Canadian economy. The new Canada Infrastructure Bank, Canada’s new Global Skills Strategy, its Strategic Investment Fund, and Venture Capital Action Plan provide tremendous opportunities for foreign investors to benefit from and participate in Canadian economic growth.
In 2017, we will be launching the new “Invest in Canada Hub” as a single-window concierge service to assist international investors as they navigate all of the advantages and incentives that Canada has to offer. There has never been a better time to invest in Canada.
Canada is one of the best places in the world to do business. Canada has the fastest-growing economy among the G7 group of countries and offers foreign direct investors the lowest business taxes in the G7. Your operations will benefit from the most highly educated workforce in the OECD and a highly competitive research and development tax environment. Canada is one of the most open and multicultural countries in the world and investors can rely on a financial system that is ranked as one of the most stable in the world.
I invite you to read the following pages and to visit www.investincanada.org to learn more about how you can benefit by investing in Canada.
Sincerely,
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne
Minister of International Trade