KPMG study names Canada most cost-competitive G7 country

For the sixth consective time, Canada has been ranked as the lowest-cost G7 country in which to do business, according to a study conducted by international business auditor KPMG.
KPMG’s 2006 Competitive Alternatives report concluded that Canada holds an overall 5.5 percentage point cost advantage over the U.S., which was used as the study baseline.
The 2006 study, eight months in the making, focused on 17 industries and measured the combined impact of all major location-sensitive cost components such as labour, transportation, utilities, industrial facilities investment and taxation rates on each nation’s cost competitiveness.
Canada ranked first among the G7 nations, as well as among the Netherlands and Singapore, in 12 of the 17 industry sectors: aerospace, chemicals, electronics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, precision manufacturing, telecommunications, biotechnology, clinical trials, softward design, Web and multimedia, and corporate service sectors.
The study also ranked Montreal, Que., first among large metropolitan areas in the G7; and Sherbrooke, Que., first among all small and medium-sized cities.
“In today’s global marketplace, companies continue to seek out the best, most cost-competitive places in which to locate and invest,” David Emerson, International Trade Minister, said. “The KPMG study shows once again that Canada offers one of the most cost-effective business and investment climates in the world.”