The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that Canada is boosting direct equity investments in private companies. The Globe's Jason Kirby writes that this surge in government ownership represents a shift in Western industrial policy, more reminiscent of China's central planning than free-market capitalism. This year, the United States, European Union, Canada and Britain have announced four times as many equity stakes as China and India combined. Under the Trump administration, government ownership in companies increased, starting with an interest in U.S. Steel that allowed veto control and a 10-per-cent stake in Intel. Not to be outdone, the Canadian government has pursued stakes in numerous private businesses. Most recently, the government said it will invest up to $400-million in Teck Resources' Trail smelter through the Canada Growth Fund, a federal arm's-length investment vehicle. Earlier this year, the fund invested in Nouveau Monde Graphite as part of Ottawa's critical minerals strategy, bringing the number of equity stakes Canada has taken so far this year to 13. Governments mostly invested in computer chip and artificial intelligence supply chain companies, with critical minerals firms coming next.