For decades, Canada had a simple yet powerful pitch to investors: Put your money to work here and you’ll enjoy unfettered access to the vast U.S. market. Clearly, this country needs a new spiel, and fast.

The Trump tariffs – actual and threatened – have sent export-dependent Canadian companies scurrying to set up or grow operations south of the border. They have also made it harder for domestic businesses to raise capital, with investors freezing new deals and funding.

Even Barrick Gold, the Canadian mining giant, has recently mused about redomiciling in the U.S.

To keep businesses here, and to attract more, Canada must do more to market itself as an investment destination in its own right rather than primarily a gateway to the U.S. We can think of three ways to do that.

First, point out an obvious selling feature Canada already has: political stability.

Yes, it’s awkward to make this argument with a lame-duck government in Ottawa, parliament........

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