Like a ski racer flying down a snow-covered mountainside, the Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, are gaining momentum. The event marks the twenty-fifth Winter Olympics, and Canada is in action in almost every sport.
To point out the obvious, we’re not a sports blog, so you might be wondering why we’re interested in writing about the Olympics. In addition to being avid hockey and curling fans, we’re invested in Canada’s interactions on the world stage—in sports and in business.
With that perspective in mind, we asked our Senior Vice President, Lucinda Wallace, what she thought about the similarities between investment attraction and the Olympics. Is there a connection between Canada’s presence on the global stage in business and athletics?
“In the Olympics, there’s this balance between competition and collaboration,” says Wallace. “Investment attraction is no different. Competition fuels innovation and excellence. Collaboration drives new ideas and results. Every business expansion needs both.”
From business expansion to Olympic games, here’s our take on the Canadian approach:
Compete at the cutting edge
Canada has a knack for being ahead of the curve.
We’ve won the inaugural gold medal in several events at the Winter Olympics. In 1998, Canada won snowboarding’s first Olympic gold medal. Twelve years later, in Vancouver, our country earned the inaugural gold in ski cross. And just this past weekend, Mikaël Kingsbury claimed the very first men’s Olympic title in dual moguls, a new event where skiers race down a hill while navigating moguls.
“Our R&D capabilities allow us to compete at the cutting edge for business expansion, too,” states Wallace. “We’ve got key national institutions like the National Research Council of Canada, along with tax incentives like SR&ED, that keep Canada competitive in cutting-edge R&D. Plus, universities across Canada are constantly producing discoveries that reshape medicine, computing, engineering and AI.”
We have a proven track record of navigating the bumps in the road (or on the ski hill) in the race to develop cutting-edge technology. From deep learning foundations to robotic inventions to multi-touch tech, Canada is golden in innovation.
Develop the next generation
Like most countries, Canada is committed to developing the next generation of Olympic talent.
The big story at this year’s Winter Olympics is Macklin Celebrini, who is the youngest NHL player ever named to Canada’s lineup. He’s 19 years old and playing with legendary Canadian stars like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. It’s not just that he’s young – he’s getting an opportunity to show what he can do on the world stage (5 goals and counting).
Talent is one of Canada’s key strengths in business expansion, too. We’re just as committed to training young people in engineering, computer science and the trades as we are to hockey. That’s a big reason why Canada is widely recognized as the most educated country in the world – about 60% of our working-age population has completed post-secondary education.
“It’s not just volume, either,” says Wallace. “Our post-secondary institutions, like the University of Waterloo and the University of Toronto, consistently rank among the top-performing computer science and engineering schools in the world. It’s exciting to see how young Canadian talent is making an impact on the international stage in so many fields.”
It isn’t just about Team Canada’s success
“The Olympics are about pursuing excellence,” says Wallace. “The fact that Canada is a winter sports training hub for the world – helping our competition get better – really highlights our commitment to excellence rather than just winning.”
Speedskating teams from Japan, South Korea, China and Germany all train with Canadians in Calgary, one of the fastest indoor ice rinks in the world. Switzerland, Sweden and the U.S. are just a handful of the curling teams that train in Canada, while skiers from China, Japan and Australia practice on our world-class slopes. Montreal is a globally renowned ice dance hub, with the top teams at the Milan-Cortina Olympics based out of the Ice Academy of Montreal. And the recent gold medallists in pairs figure skating, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, have trained in Canada since 2019.
Canadians are happy to cheer on these international athletes as they pursue excellence. Watch our Olympic broadcasts, and you might be surprised at how much of the focus is on the success of others – even when Canadians are in the mix.
This focus on excellence rather than simply winning is foundational to our business approach, too. “Our drive to work with companies from around the world has led to our success,” Wallace shares. “You only have to listen to our Prime Minister’s recent speech in Davos to understand how Canada collaborates with others.”
In Davos, Switzerland, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said: “It’s building coalitions that work—issues by issue, with partners who share enough common ground to act together … What it’s doing is creating a dense web of connections across trade, investment, culture, on which we can draw for future challenges and opportunities.”
So, while we’re eager to see Canada perform well in the remainder of the Olympics, we know Canada is poised to meet the moment (economic, political, athletic or otherwise), no matter what, with strength, skill and a sense of teamwork.
Key Takeaways
- With a focus on collaboration and innovation to find success, Canada’s approach to global competition mirrors our Olympic mindset
- Canada’s R&D ecosystem positions us at the cutting-edge of innovation in AI, computing and engineering
- Canada’s talent pipeline—in sports, business, tech and more—is unmatched, making our nation an attractive choice for business expansion
Download our Services Booklet to discover how our team can help you consider expansion to Waterloo, Canada.