Les investissements directs étrangers au Canada : des débats qui ont forgé l’histoire économique canadienne 

Abstract

Motivations and objectives that shape the actions of a state are based on a set of variables, sometimes instituted by the conjunction of ideas and debates. The case of foreign direct investment in Canada is of particular interest in this regard because of its long and rich experience in Canadian history, entwined by the many debates that have followed one another. This article proposes to review chronologically these debates, from National Policy to the present day. A specific emphasis is placed on the evolution of ideas and motivations of the Canadian state vis-à-vis foreign multinational firms. The fundamental economic objectives pursued by the government since the Second World War are thus distinguished from the ideas on the means to achieve them. This long journey allows us to better understand not only the issues at stake in the various debates, but also the interrelationships between them and the impact of certain ideas on Canadian economic institutions.

Keywords

• foreign direct investment
• political debates
• Canadian economic history
• Canadianism