Quebec

Business and Investment Environment

• GDP of CDN $301 billion in 2008, 60% generated by the service sector
• GDP per person 18th 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)
• Exports account for 33% of GDP , with 72% of international exports shipped to the US
• Access to NAFTA market of over 440 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, 2nd largest magnesium producer and 4th largest aluminum producer in the world
• The St. Lawrence Seaway offers easy access to the industrial heart of North America

Sectoral Strengths

Aerospace

• Internationally, the Greater Montréal region is considered one of the major world centres for aeronautics, on the same level as Seattle, Wichita and Toulouse.
• 62% of overall Canadian aerospace industry production takes place in Québec, where sales reached some CDN$12 billion in 2007.
• The prominence of this industry is reflected in the presence here of major prime contractors and technical centres such as Bombardier Aerospace, Bell Helicopter Textron, CAE, Pratt & Whitney Canada, ACTS, Rolls-Royce Canada, as well as world-class manufacturers like GE Canada, Héroux-Devtek, Lockheed Martin, Rheinmetall Canada, MDA Space, Esterline/CMC Electronics, Messier-Dowty and Thales Avionics.
• In addition, the Canadian Space Agency has its headquarters in Québec, and is the site of important R&D initiatives in space technology, key among them the development of robotic arms (Canadarm) for space shuttles and International Space Station.

Life Sciences industry

• Canada is home to nearly 500 biotechnology firms—Most of which are in the health sector, where a total of 67 companies employ over 2,300 people.
• Québec has the fourth-highest number of biotechnology companies of any province or state in North America.
• Some 30 international pharmaceutical companies have their Canadian head offices in Québec.
• The ten largest pharmaceutical companies in the world have operations in Québec: their Canadian head office, important sites for fundamental research or major manufacturing facilities.

Information technology

• Québec has become one of North America's leading high-technology centres. The information-, communications- and computer-technologies sectors are all incredibly dynamic.
• Software and multimedia companies that are internationally recognized for their creativity and knowledge
• Montreal is the key site for a number of leading edge companies, demonstrated by several world leaders in manufacturing and research situated in the wireless telecommunications field.
• A leading international producer of interactive games, animation and 2D and 3D special effects.

Other sectors of excellence

• Agri-food
• Automotive and surface transportation equipment
• Light metals
• Microelectronics
• Multimedia
• Telecommunications

Online Resources

To learn more about other investment opportunities in Canada, please contact:

Invest in Canada Bureau
Email: investincanada@international.gc.ca
Internet : www.investincanada.gc.ca

1. The sources used in this section are: 1) Québec Handy Numbers, 2007 Edition, published by l'Institut de statistique du Québec -ISQ (Data on the population, population of metropolitan areas, languages, and the total area); 2) L'Écostat, Full version, March 2007, published by ISQ - l'Institut de la statistique du Québec (Data on total labor force and employment by industry).(return to source paragraph)
2. Sources: 1) ISQ web site, Press releases, March 27^th, 2007; 2) ISQ- Banque de données des statistiques officielles sur le Québec (CPI inflation); 3) Québec Handy Numbers, 2007 Edition (for Unemployment rate); 4) L'Écostat, Full version, March 2007 (Total international trade).(return to source paragraph)
3. CPI: Consumer Price Index (return to source paragraph)
4. Source : L'Écostat, Full version, March 2007 (return to source paragraph)