Capital expenditures are direct investments to maintain and enhance the capacity of the Canadian economy. The covid-19 economic shutdown exposed supply chain weaknesses of the economy, weaknesses in both of production capacity and the distributions system. Public and private investments in subsequent years are informed by these shortages. Statistics Canada survey data

is obtained using the Capital and Repair Expenditures Survey based on a sample survey of 27,000 businesses, governments and institutions. The public sector includes governments and enterprises for which the government has effective control or at least 50% of voting rights.

2018 and 2019 capital expenditures pre-date the covid-19 economic shut down. Capital investments in a medium to long term context so it is too early for the capacity response to show up in the data. Major investments require a planning horizon extending over 5 to 10 years (this includes arrangements for financing, permitting and licensing, construction and post construction arrangements). As such one would not expect covid-19 associated investments not to become evident until at least the latter half of the 2020s. However one would expect that undertaking to identify lessons learned, hypothetical solutions and gaming exercises to be actively underway. But i would be surprised if Canada was actively leading such exercises.

The attached spreadsheet contain the basic data in support of this rather limited view of the investment response post-pandemic. It also includes expenditures by province/territory (tab titled by jurisdiction) and by function (tab labeled Summary Table). I will supplement this information as it becomes available.