evidence: FDI in Canada has grown considerably since the 1980s. The stock of FDI was equivalent to 47% of Canada's GDP in 2020—almost 30 percentage points higher than in the late eightiesFootnote 3 (Box 2.1). This growth has led to debates about its impact on the Canadian economy and, more specifically, whether this investment is coming at the cost of jobs at home or, alternatively, helping to support Canadian firms' competitive position as they access new markets and resources. These are important questions, as determining the impact of FDI can have important implications for the design of investment and trade policies to promote economic growth. [...] FDI statistics are presented as a financial flow (transaction) or stock (position). FDI flows represent activities of foreign investors over a period of time (e.g. in a given year). FDI flow data also include the return on equity and debt in the form of profits and interest income to the direct investor during a specific period of time. FDI flows can be quite volatile (McNaughton, 2021)—just one large deal in a given quarter or year can have a huge impact on the flow figures for that time period. FDI stocks represent the total foreign investment at a point in time—i.e. the cumulative value of investments. FDI stock includes equity and debt (loans between companies).