Investing in Canada

More and more global companies are investing in Canada thanks to our top talent, abundant natural resources and preferential access to markets around the globe. Find out how the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has made our market even more attractive to investors from the EU:

• Welcoming investment climate
• Priority access to global markets
• Enhanced investor protection
• Lower investment restrictions
• Non-discriminatory treatment

Welcoming investment climate

Canada is recognized as the best country in the G20 to do business. For more than a decade, we’ve led all G7 countries in economic growth. What’s more, investors benefit from:

• most highly educated workforce among OECD members
• lowest total business tax costs in the G7 and 46% lower than the United States
• competitive R&D environment with the lowest costs for R&D-intensive sectors among G7
• one of the world’s soundest financial systems according to the World Economic Forum
• overall living conditions and quality of life ranked as one of the best in the G7 according to OECD’s Better Life Index
• world-class universities, universal health care, and clean and friendly cities

Priority access to global markets

If you’re an EU company operating in Canada, CETA offers you guaranteed preferential market access to both the EU and North American markets. Unlike the other top destinations for EU investment in the Americas, such as the United States, Mexico, and Brazil, only Canada has investment treaties in place with all 27 EU member states.

Enhanced investor protection

If you’re an investor from the EU, CETA provides greater certainty, transparency and protection for your investments. CETA’s Investment Chapter offers important guarantees to EU investors in Canada. Some of its core protections include:

• National treatment which prohibits Canada from discriminating against EU investors in favour of Canadian investors
• Most-favoured-nation treatment which prohibits Canada from discriminating against EU investors in favour of investors from a third country
• Treatment of investors and of covered investments which establishes a minimum standard of treatment
• Expropriation which prohibits Canada from expropriating or nationalizing investments made by EU investors, except for a public process, under due process of law, in a non-discriminatory manner and on payment of prompt and adequate compensation

Note: Most provisions of CETA’s Investment Chapter will only enter into force when CETA is ratified by all EU member states.

Lower investment restrictions

CETA was designed to encourage investment by limiting market access restrictions on investors. Under CETA, the net benefit review threshold under the Investment Canada Act has been raised from Can$600 million to Can$1.5 billion.

Non-discriminatory treatment

CETA ensures Canada and EU investors receive fair and non-discriminatory treatment. Canada and the EU must provide each other’s investors with treatment no less favourable than they provide to their own investors and any third country investor in like situations.

Learn more from Invest in Canada