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Canada’s World-Class Economy

One of the World’s Most Advanced and Dynamic Economies

World’s ninth largest consumer market—At US$1.57 trillion, in 2010 Canada was the world’s ninth largest economy as measured by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at market exchange rates. Canada’s economy is larger than Russia, India or South Korea and rivals leading destinations of foreign direct investments.

Source: International Monetary Fund. World Economic Outlook Database. April 2011.

Fastest growing economy in the G-7—Canada offers foreign direct investors growth prospects unparalleled among advanced economies. Canada’s economic growth has outperformed the rest of the G-7 from 2001 to 2010. This is the result of Canadian fiscal policies built upon low corporate taxes, prudent fiscal management and financial regulation.

As the table below shows, the International Monetary Fund reports that, on average, Canada is poised to grow faster than other G-7 economies in 2011 and 2012 period.

Table: G7 Real GDP Growth Rates 2009 – 2012F, %

	2009	2010	2011F	2012F	Average 2010-12	Average 2001-10
Canada	-2.8	3.2	2.9	2.6	2.8	1.9
Italy	-5.2	1.3	1.0	1.3	1.2	0.3
Japan	-6.3	4.0	-0.7	2.9	1.1	0.7
France	-2.6	1.4	2.1	1.9	2.0	1.2
Germany	-4.7	3.5	3.2	2.0	2.6	0.9
U.K.	-4.9	1.3	1.5	2.3	1.9	1.4
U.S.	-2.6	2.9	2.5	2.7	2.6	1.7
Adv. Econ.	-3.4	3.0	2.2	2.6	2.4	1.6

Table updated with the World Economic Outlook Database April 2011 and the World Economic Outlook June 2011.

Adv. Econ. : Advanced Economies, F: Forecast

The Soundest Banking Sector in the World—Six of the top-10 safest banks in North America are Canadian institutions.

The Strongest Fiscal Position in the G-7—With total government net debt-to-GDP ratio at 32.2 percent in 2010, Canada’s debt burden continues to be the lowest among G-7 countries.