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September 16, 2021

Business Investment in Canada Not Keeping Pace with Workforce or Competitors Abroad

  • Recent figures on Canada’s stock of capital and new investment prefigure lower incomes for Canadian workers, according to a new report released by the C.D. Howe Institute.
  • Authors William B.P. Robson and Miles Wu examine Canada’s stock of business capital and new investment, comparing it to the United States and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries.
  • Since 2015, Canada’s stocks of capital per worker have been stagnant or declining and its rates of gross investment per worker have been weak, write the authors. Moreover, business investment has been feeble compared to investment in the US and other countries, a contrast that appears to have worsened during COVID-19.
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William Robson

Bill Robson took office as President and CEO of the C.D. Howe Institute in July 2006, after serving as the Institute’s Senior Vice President since 2003 and Director of Research from 2000 to 2003. He has written more than 280 monographs, articles, chapters and books on such subjects as government budgets, pensions, healthcare financing, inflation and currency issues.

Miles Wu
Miles Wu

Miles Wu is a former Research Assistant at the C.D. Howe Institute. In his role, he provided research support, literature review, and analysis for various projects and presentations. Prior to the C.D. Howe Institute, Miles had worked at the Information Technology Association of Canada, Queen’s Park and Toronto City Hall in both internship and full-time positions.

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