With a population of over 8 million, Québec is a major economic player on the Canadian scene.
In announcing the opening of its data centre in Montréal, Amazon Web Services
(AWS) cited the cost and availability of electricity as decisive factors in its choice to locate there. Teresa Carlson, AWS’s Vice President, Worldwide Public Sector, said, “We picked the area that we did because of the hydropower. We did find them (Québec) to be very business friendly.”
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Nearly 66% of Canada’s GDP is tied to international trade, making Canada one of the world’s most open economies.
Québec has privileged access to the planet’s two biggest free-trade zones:
Here are some of the free-trade agreements in place:
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The Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) is an intergovernmental trade agreement signed by Canadian first ministers that entered into force on July 1, 2017. Its objective is to enhance interprovincial trade and to establish an open, efficient and stable domestic market.
Québec has an asset that is unique in North America: its linguistic and cultural diversity.
In addition to French and English, some 150 languages are spoken in Québec, including Italian, Spanish, Arabic, Greek, Chinese, German and Portuguese.