
Canada’s dismal productiveness that has considerably lagged different OECD international locations over the previous few many years is a standard grievance. Nevertheless, fixing it received’t come low-cost, says a number one economist.
Charles St-Arnaud, a former strategist on the Financial institution of Canada , says the principle offender for this underperformance has been a scarcity of funding within the economic system. Remedying that can take an outlay he describes as “staggering.”
Many years of underinvestment have resulted in Canada’s inventory of capital per employee (buildings, equipment and mental property utilized in manufacturing) falling severely behind its superior nation friends, mentioned St-Arnaud, who’s now chief economist at Servus Credit score Union.
How unhealthy is it? Listed here are just a few sobering statistics:
- The inventory of capital per employee of the OECD’s 10 best international locations is 50 per cent greater than in Canada on common. On the high finish, Switzerland’s is 118 per cent greater than Canada’s.
- Because the oil bust of 2015 Canada’s inventory of capital per employee has elevated simply 0.2 per cent a 12 months on common, in comparison with 1.2 per cent within the extra productive international locations.
- The result’s that these international locations’ productiveness is 37 per cent greater than Canada’s and their GDP per capita is 31 per cent greater on common.
To catch as much as the productiveness stage of those nations, Canada’s inventory of capital must develop by as much as 5.4 per cent per 12 months over the subsequent decade which might require an funding of $7.6 trillion.
Closing half that hole would require Canada’s capital inventory per employee to develop by as much as 3.5 per cent yearly, an funding of as much as $4.5 trillion.
Simply to forestall the hole between Canada and its friends from widening would take an funding of as much as $2.2 trillion.
“Placing these numbers in context, the economic system requires about $1 trillion in funding per 12 months, the equal of about 30 per cent of GDP, over the subsequent 10 years simply to make sure we don’t see additional decline in competitiveness relative to the leaders within the OECD,” mentioned St-Arnaud.
Doing nothing doesn’t appear an possibility, as a result of if Canada’s tempo of capital funding doesn’t choose up, the hole between it and its OECD friends will widen to over 60 per cent in 10 years.
The elephant within the room is find out how to pay for it.
St-Arnaud’s report additionally considers the prices of fixing Canada’s housing affordability disaster which over the subsequent 10 years might take an additional $1.7 trillion above and past what would usually be spent on house building. Add the 2 “generational challenges” collectively and the entire nears $9 trillion.
Many of the heavy lifting would fall to overseas buyers.
Nevertheless, St-Arnaud warns that counting on cash from overseas runs the chance of Canada turning into much more of an “extractive” economic system the place earnings move in another country and should not invested domestically. Attracting capital may additionally require greater rates of interest, which brings its personal set of issues.
Coverage makers can assist with incentives to direct extra home financial savings from pension funds, asset managers and households into Canadian initiatives, he mentioned. The monetary system is also adjusted to channel extra lending towards productive enterprise funding quite than family borrowing.
“What is obvious is that there isn’t a low-cost or straightforward path out of Canada’s present predicament. The nation’s ambitions for housing affordability and competitiveness are inside attain, however solely with a scale of funding, saving, and structural adjustment that Canada has not mustered in many years,” mentioned St-Arnaud.
“Falling in need of that ambition will imply accepting that the nation will maintain falling additional behind.”
Join right here to get Posthaste delivered straight to your inbox.

The drought that has wreaked havoc on Europe with the worst wildfires in residing reminiscence can be disrupting provide chains, writes Nationwide Financial institution of Canada economist Jocelyn Paquet.
The dearth of rainfall and excessive temperatures this summer time have “successfully dried up” the Rhine River, via which about 7,000 service provider ships usually go every day.
As Paquet’s chart exhibits, the water stage on the Kaub chokepoint within the river fell to twenty-eight centimetres this week, the bottom ever recorded presently of 12 months.
This has compelled ships to both restrict how a lot they carry or halt operations via the waterway altogether, pushing the value of barge transport to a historic excessive.
It doesn’t assist that the barges run on diesel, the value of which has soared throughout the Iran warfare.

- At the moment’s Knowledge: United States GDP, private earnings and spending
- Earnings: Bombardier Inc., Loblaw Cos Ltd., Hershey Co.


- Traders questioning when the inventory market get together will finish caught between rock of FOMO and arduous place of worry
- Allied Gold’s $5.5 billion sale to Chinese language gold miner falls aside amid slide in gold costs
- Why forcing landlords to pay for air con upgrades might backfire
With the present bull market now into its fourth 12 months, many buyers are questioning when the get together will finish. They’re trapped between the “rock” of FOMO (worry of lacking out) and the “arduous place” of FOL (worry of losses). Investing columnist Noah Solomon seems to be on the 13 bear markets because the postwar period to see how they examine to at this time. Learn extra
Interested by power? The subscriber-only FP West: Vitality Insider e-newsletter brings you unique reporting and in-depth evaluation on one of many nation’s most essential sectors. Join right here.
McLister on mortgages
Need to study extra about mortgages? Mortgage strategist Robert McLister’s Monetary Put up column can assist navigate the advanced sector, from the most recent developments to financing alternatives you received’t need to miss. Plus examine his mortgage fee web page for Canada’s lowest nationwide mortgage charges, up to date each day.
Monetary Put up on YouTube
Go to the Monetary Put up’s YouTube channel for interviews with Canada’s main consultants in enterprise, economics, housing, the power sector and extra.
At the moment’s Posthaste was written by Pamela Heaven with extra reporting from Monetary Put up workers and Bloomberg.
Have a narrative thought, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this article? Electronic mail us at [email protected] .
Bookmark our web site and assist our journalism: Don’t miss the enterprise information you might want to know — add financialpost.com to your bookmarks and join our newsletters right here

Canada’s dismal productiveness that has considerably lagged different OECD international locations over the previous few many years is a standard grievance. Nevertheless, fixing it received’t come low-cost, says a number one economist.
Charles St-Arnaud, a former strategist on the Financial institution of Canada , says the principle offender for this underperformance has been a scarcity of funding within the economic system. Remedying that can take an outlay he describes as “staggering.”
Many years of underinvestment have resulted in Canada’s inventory of capital per employee (buildings, equipment and mental property utilized in manufacturing) falling severely behind its superior nation friends, mentioned St-Arnaud, who’s now chief economist at Servus Credit score Union.
How unhealthy is it? Listed here are just a few sobering statistics:
- The inventory of capital per employee of the OECD’s 10 best international locations is 50 per cent greater than in Canada on common. On the high finish, Switzerland’s is 118 per cent greater than Canada’s.
- Because the oil bust of 2015 Canada’s inventory of capital per employee has elevated simply 0.2 per cent a 12 months on common, in comparison with 1.2 per cent within the extra productive international locations.
- The result’s that these international locations’ productiveness is 37 per cent greater than Canada’s and their GDP per capita is 31 per cent greater on common.
To catch as much as the productiveness stage of those nations, Canada’s inventory of capital must develop by as much as 5.4 per cent per 12 months over the subsequent decade which might require an funding of $7.6 trillion.
Closing half that hole would require Canada’s capital inventory per employee to develop by as much as 3.5 per cent yearly, an funding of as much as $4.5 trillion.
Simply to forestall the hole between Canada and its friends from widening would take an funding of as much as $2.2 trillion.
“Placing these numbers in context, the economic system requires about $1 trillion in funding per 12 months, the equal of about 30 per cent of GDP, over the subsequent 10 years simply to make sure we don’t see additional decline in competitiveness relative to the leaders within the OECD,” mentioned St-Arnaud.
Doing nothing doesn’t appear an possibility, as a result of if Canada’s tempo of capital funding doesn’t choose up, the hole between it and its OECD friends will widen to over 60 per cent in 10 years.
The elephant within the room is find out how to pay for it.
St-Arnaud’s report additionally considers the prices of fixing Canada’s housing affordability disaster which over the subsequent 10 years might take an additional $1.7 trillion above and past what would usually be spent on house building. Add the 2 “generational challenges” collectively and the entire nears $9 trillion.
Many of the heavy lifting would fall to overseas buyers.
Nevertheless, St-Arnaud warns that counting on cash from overseas runs the chance of Canada turning into much more of an “extractive” economic system the place earnings move in another country and should not invested domestically. Attracting capital may additionally require greater rates of interest, which brings its personal set of issues.
Coverage makers can assist with incentives to direct extra home financial savings from pension funds, asset managers and households into Canadian initiatives, he mentioned. The monetary system is also adjusted to channel extra lending towards productive enterprise funding quite than family borrowing.
“What is obvious is that there isn’t a low-cost or straightforward path out of Canada’s present predicament. The nation’s ambitions for housing affordability and competitiveness are inside attain, however solely with a scale of funding, saving, and structural adjustment that Canada has not mustered in many years,” mentioned St-Arnaud.
“Falling in need of that ambition will imply accepting that the nation will maintain falling additional behind.”
Join right here to get Posthaste delivered straight to your inbox.

The drought that has wreaked havoc on Europe with the worst wildfires in residing reminiscence can be disrupting provide chains, writes Nationwide Financial institution of Canada economist Jocelyn Paquet.
The dearth of rainfall and excessive temperatures this summer time have “successfully dried up” the Rhine River, via which about 7,000 service provider ships usually go every day.
As Paquet’s chart exhibits, the water stage on the Kaub chokepoint within the river fell to twenty-eight centimetres this week, the bottom ever recorded presently of 12 months.
This has compelled ships to both restrict how a lot they carry or halt operations via the waterway altogether, pushing the value of barge transport to a historic excessive.
It doesn’t assist that the barges run on diesel, the value of which has soared throughout the Iran warfare.

- At the moment’s Knowledge: United States GDP, private earnings and spending
- Earnings: Bombardier Inc., Loblaw Cos Ltd., Hershey Co.


- Traders questioning when the inventory market get together will finish caught between rock of FOMO and arduous place of worry
- Allied Gold’s $5.5 billion sale to Chinese language gold miner falls aside amid slide in gold costs
- Why forcing landlords to pay for air con upgrades might backfire
With the present bull market now into its fourth 12 months, many buyers are questioning when the get together will finish. They’re trapped between the “rock” of FOMO (worry of lacking out) and the “arduous place” of FOL (worry of losses). Investing columnist Noah Solomon seems to be on the 13 bear markets because the postwar period to see how they examine to at this time. Learn extra
Interested by power? The subscriber-only FP West: Vitality Insider e-newsletter brings you unique reporting and in-depth evaluation on one of many nation’s most essential sectors. Join right here.
McLister on mortgages
Need to study extra about mortgages? Mortgage strategist Robert McLister’s Monetary Put up column can assist navigate the advanced sector, from the most recent developments to financing alternatives you received’t need to miss. Plus examine his mortgage fee web page for Canada’s lowest nationwide mortgage charges, up to date each day.
Monetary Put up on YouTube
Go to the Monetary Put up’s YouTube channel for interviews with Canada’s main consultants in enterprise, economics, housing, the power sector and extra.
At the moment’s Posthaste was written by Pamela Heaven with extra reporting from Monetary Put up workers and Bloomberg.
Have a narrative thought, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this article? Electronic mail us at [email protected] .
Bookmark our web site and assist our journalism: Don’t miss the enterprise information you might want to know — add financialpost.com to your bookmarks and join our newsletters right here

Canada’s dismal productiveness that has considerably lagged different OECD international locations over the previous few many years is a standard grievance. Nevertheless, fixing it received’t come low-cost, says a number one economist.
Charles St-Arnaud, a former strategist on the Financial institution of Canada , says the principle offender for this underperformance has been a scarcity of funding within the economic system. Remedying that can take an outlay he describes as “staggering.”
Many years of underinvestment have resulted in Canada’s inventory of capital per employee (buildings, equipment and mental property utilized in manufacturing) falling severely behind its superior nation friends, mentioned St-Arnaud, who’s now chief economist at Servus Credit score Union.
How unhealthy is it? Listed here are just a few sobering statistics:
- The inventory of capital per employee of the OECD’s 10 best international locations is 50 per cent greater than in Canada on common. On the high finish, Switzerland’s is 118 per cent greater than Canada’s.
- Because the oil bust of 2015 Canada’s inventory of capital per employee has elevated simply 0.2 per cent a 12 months on common, in comparison with 1.2 per cent within the extra productive international locations.
- The result’s that these international locations’ productiveness is 37 per cent greater than Canada’s and their GDP per capita is 31 per cent greater on common.
To catch as much as the productiveness stage of those nations, Canada’s inventory of capital must develop by as much as 5.4 per cent per 12 months over the subsequent decade which might require an funding of $7.6 trillion.
Closing half that hole would require Canada’s capital inventory per employee to develop by as much as 3.5 per cent yearly, an funding of as much as $4.5 trillion.
Simply to forestall the hole between Canada and its friends from widening would take an funding of as much as $2.2 trillion.
“Placing these numbers in context, the economic system requires about $1 trillion in funding per 12 months, the equal of about 30 per cent of GDP, over the subsequent 10 years simply to make sure we don’t see additional decline in competitiveness relative to the leaders within the OECD,” mentioned St-Arnaud.
Doing nothing doesn’t appear an possibility, as a result of if Canada’s tempo of capital funding doesn’t choose up, the hole between it and its OECD friends will widen to over 60 per cent in 10 years.
The elephant within the room is find out how to pay for it.
St-Arnaud’s report additionally considers the prices of fixing Canada’s housing affordability disaster which over the subsequent 10 years might take an additional $1.7 trillion above and past what would usually be spent on house building. Add the 2 “generational challenges” collectively and the entire nears $9 trillion.
Many of the heavy lifting would fall to overseas buyers.
Nevertheless, St-Arnaud warns that counting on cash from overseas runs the chance of Canada turning into much more of an “extractive” economic system the place earnings move in another country and should not invested domestically. Attracting capital may additionally require greater rates of interest, which brings its personal set of issues.
Coverage makers can assist with incentives to direct extra home financial savings from pension funds, asset managers and households into Canadian initiatives, he mentioned. The monetary system is also adjusted to channel extra lending towards productive enterprise funding quite than family borrowing.
“What is obvious is that there isn’t a low-cost or straightforward path out of Canada’s present predicament. The nation’s ambitions for housing affordability and competitiveness are inside attain, however solely with a scale of funding, saving, and structural adjustment that Canada has not mustered in many years,” mentioned St-Arnaud.
“Falling in need of that ambition will imply accepting that the nation will maintain falling additional behind.”
Join right here to get Posthaste delivered straight to your inbox.

The drought that has wreaked havoc on Europe with the worst wildfires in residing reminiscence can be disrupting provide chains, writes Nationwide Financial institution of Canada economist Jocelyn Paquet.
The dearth of rainfall and excessive temperatures this summer time have “successfully dried up” the Rhine River, via which about 7,000 service provider ships usually go every day.
As Paquet’s chart exhibits, the water stage on the Kaub chokepoint within the river fell to twenty-eight centimetres this week, the bottom ever recorded presently of 12 months.
This has compelled ships to both restrict how a lot they carry or halt operations via the waterway altogether, pushing the value of barge transport to a historic excessive.
It doesn’t assist that the barges run on diesel, the value of which has soared throughout the Iran warfare.

- At the moment’s Knowledge: United States GDP, private earnings and spending
- Earnings: Bombardier Inc., Loblaw Cos Ltd., Hershey Co.


- Traders questioning when the inventory market get together will finish caught between rock of FOMO and arduous place of worry
- Allied Gold’s $5.5 billion sale to Chinese language gold miner falls aside amid slide in gold costs
- Why forcing landlords to pay for air con upgrades might backfire
With the present bull market now into its fourth 12 months, many buyers are questioning when the get together will finish. They’re trapped between the “rock” of FOMO (worry of lacking out) and the “arduous place” of FOL (worry of losses). Investing columnist Noah Solomon seems to be on the 13 bear markets because the postwar period to see how they examine to at this time. Learn extra
Interested by power? The subscriber-only FP West: Vitality Insider e-newsletter brings you unique reporting and in-depth evaluation on one of many nation’s most essential sectors. Join right here.
McLister on mortgages
Need to study extra about mortgages? Mortgage strategist Robert McLister’s Monetary Put up column can assist navigate the advanced sector, from the most recent developments to financing alternatives you received’t need to miss. Plus examine his mortgage fee web page for Canada’s lowest nationwide mortgage charges, up to date each day.
Monetary Put up on YouTube
Go to the Monetary Put up’s YouTube channel for interviews with Canada’s main consultants in enterprise, economics, housing, the power sector and extra.
At the moment’s Posthaste was written by Pamela Heaven with extra reporting from Monetary Put up workers and Bloomberg.
Have a narrative thought, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this article? Electronic mail us at [email protected] .
Bookmark our web site and assist our journalism: Don’t miss the enterprise information you might want to know — add financialpost.com to your bookmarks and join our newsletters right here

Canada’s dismal productiveness that has considerably lagged different OECD international locations over the previous few many years is a standard grievance. Nevertheless, fixing it received’t come low-cost, says a number one economist.
Charles St-Arnaud, a former strategist on the Financial institution of Canada , says the principle offender for this underperformance has been a scarcity of funding within the economic system. Remedying that can take an outlay he describes as “staggering.”
Many years of underinvestment have resulted in Canada’s inventory of capital per employee (buildings, equipment and mental property utilized in manufacturing) falling severely behind its superior nation friends, mentioned St-Arnaud, who’s now chief economist at Servus Credit score Union.
How unhealthy is it? Listed here are just a few sobering statistics:
- The inventory of capital per employee of the OECD’s 10 best international locations is 50 per cent greater than in Canada on common. On the high finish, Switzerland’s is 118 per cent greater than Canada’s.
- Because the oil bust of 2015 Canada’s inventory of capital per employee has elevated simply 0.2 per cent a 12 months on common, in comparison with 1.2 per cent within the extra productive international locations.
- The result’s that these international locations’ productiveness is 37 per cent greater than Canada’s and their GDP per capita is 31 per cent greater on common.
To catch as much as the productiveness stage of those nations, Canada’s inventory of capital must develop by as much as 5.4 per cent per 12 months over the subsequent decade which might require an funding of $7.6 trillion.
Closing half that hole would require Canada’s capital inventory per employee to develop by as much as 3.5 per cent yearly, an funding of as much as $4.5 trillion.
Simply to forestall the hole between Canada and its friends from widening would take an funding of as much as $2.2 trillion.
“Placing these numbers in context, the economic system requires about $1 trillion in funding per 12 months, the equal of about 30 per cent of GDP, over the subsequent 10 years simply to make sure we don’t see additional decline in competitiveness relative to the leaders within the OECD,” mentioned St-Arnaud.
Doing nothing doesn’t appear an possibility, as a result of if Canada’s tempo of capital funding doesn’t choose up, the hole between it and its OECD friends will widen to over 60 per cent in 10 years.
The elephant within the room is find out how to pay for it.
St-Arnaud’s report additionally considers the prices of fixing Canada’s housing affordability disaster which over the subsequent 10 years might take an additional $1.7 trillion above and past what would usually be spent on house building. Add the 2 “generational challenges” collectively and the entire nears $9 trillion.
Many of the heavy lifting would fall to overseas buyers.
Nevertheless, St-Arnaud warns that counting on cash from overseas runs the chance of Canada turning into much more of an “extractive” economic system the place earnings move in another country and should not invested domestically. Attracting capital may additionally require greater rates of interest, which brings its personal set of issues.
Coverage makers can assist with incentives to direct extra home financial savings from pension funds, asset managers and households into Canadian initiatives, he mentioned. The monetary system is also adjusted to channel extra lending towards productive enterprise funding quite than family borrowing.
“What is obvious is that there isn’t a low-cost or straightforward path out of Canada’s present predicament. The nation’s ambitions for housing affordability and competitiveness are inside attain, however solely with a scale of funding, saving, and structural adjustment that Canada has not mustered in many years,” mentioned St-Arnaud.
“Falling in need of that ambition will imply accepting that the nation will maintain falling additional behind.”
Join right here to get Posthaste delivered straight to your inbox.

The drought that has wreaked havoc on Europe with the worst wildfires in residing reminiscence can be disrupting provide chains, writes Nationwide Financial institution of Canada economist Jocelyn Paquet.
The dearth of rainfall and excessive temperatures this summer time have “successfully dried up” the Rhine River, via which about 7,000 service provider ships usually go every day.
As Paquet’s chart exhibits, the water stage on the Kaub chokepoint within the river fell to twenty-eight centimetres this week, the bottom ever recorded presently of 12 months.
This has compelled ships to both restrict how a lot they carry or halt operations via the waterway altogether, pushing the value of barge transport to a historic excessive.
It doesn’t assist that the barges run on diesel, the value of which has soared throughout the Iran warfare.

- At the moment’s Knowledge: United States GDP, private earnings and spending
- Earnings: Bombardier Inc., Loblaw Cos Ltd., Hershey Co.


- Traders questioning when the inventory market get together will finish caught between rock of FOMO and arduous place of worry
- Allied Gold’s $5.5 billion sale to Chinese language gold miner falls aside amid slide in gold costs
- Why forcing landlords to pay for air con upgrades might backfire
With the present bull market now into its fourth 12 months, many buyers are questioning when the get together will finish. They’re trapped between the “rock” of FOMO (worry of lacking out) and the “arduous place” of FOL (worry of losses). Investing columnist Noah Solomon seems to be on the 13 bear markets because the postwar period to see how they examine to at this time. Learn extra
Interested by power? The subscriber-only FP West: Vitality Insider e-newsletter brings you unique reporting and in-depth evaluation on one of many nation’s most essential sectors. Join right here.
McLister on mortgages
Need to study extra about mortgages? Mortgage strategist Robert McLister’s Monetary Put up column can assist navigate the advanced sector, from the most recent developments to financing alternatives you received’t need to miss. Plus examine his mortgage fee web page for Canada’s lowest nationwide mortgage charges, up to date each day.
Monetary Put up on YouTube
Go to the Monetary Put up’s YouTube channel for interviews with Canada’s main consultants in enterprise, economics, housing, the power sector and extra.
At the moment’s Posthaste was written by Pamela Heaven with extra reporting from Monetary Put up workers and Bloomberg.
Have a narrative thought, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this article? Electronic mail us at [email protected] .
Bookmark our web site and assist our journalism: Don’t miss the enterprise information you might want to know — add financialpost.com to your bookmarks and join our newsletters right here










