Canada Market
Québec--Dynamic and Diverse
A strategic location between Europe and the Americas , Québec offers an abundance and variety of natural resources, highly-skilled, multilingual workers, a vibrant cultural community and an exceptionally high quality of life. Add to these advantages Québec 's steadfast commitment to R&D, and you have one of the country's most innovative economies, with high technology industries and 'green' energy increasing prosperity in the 21 st century.
Cost Advantages- GDP of CDN $275 billion in 2005, 70% generated by the service sector
- GDP per person 19 th in the OECD, comparable to Germany and Italy , surpassing Spain
- Tax rates on business profits among the lowest in North America
- Tax incentives and labour force assistance and training programs ($2.5 billion annually)
Export Markets
- Exports account for 35% of GDP , with 81% of international exports shipped to the US
- Access to NAFTA market of over 400 million consumers
- A market of 110 million consumers within a 1000 km radius
- Within a 600 mile radius of Boston , New York , Washington and Detroit
- #1 exporter of newsprint, 2 nd largest magnesium producer and 4 th largest aluminum producer in the world
- The St. Lawrence Seaway offers easy access to the industrial heart of North America
Specialised Workforce
- Highly-educated workforce-9 universities produce 60,000 graduates annually
- 84% of workers have post-secondary or more , 21% a university degree
- Highly bilingual and multilingual workforce-40% speak French and English; 13% speak a third language
Other Key Advantages
- 4 th in North America in terms of biotechnology companies
- 6 th in the world for aerospace output
- Commercial and professionals services employ 614,000, producing 29% of GDP
- 40% of deliveries and 42% of investment in Canada 's biopharmaceutical industry
- Clean energy producer supplying electricity to other parts of Canada and the US
- R&D spending-2.74% of GDP-is the highest in Canada and higher than the average of the OECD, the G7 and the European union
- Over 200 specialized university R&D centres-McGill is the Canadian university awarded the most patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office
- Private and public capital to fund investment projects
- Efficient road and rail networks and airport infrastructure
- From 2000 to 2004, Québec's standard of living rose by more than any G7 country, except the UK
- 112 international financial centres
- Montreal Stock Exchange a Canadian hub for financial risk management and a significant partner in specialized markets in North America
- Home of the Canadian Space Agency
Sector Strengths
- Aerospace
- Agriculture & Agri-food
- Automotive & Ground Transportation Equipment
- Biopharmaceuticals
- Construction
- Energy (hydro-electric & wind)
- Environment
- Forestry
- Financial Services
- Genomics
- Information & Communications Technologies
- Information Technologies & Software
- Light Metals
- Microelectronics
- Mining
- Multimedia
- Textiles
- Tourism