The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that the last thing an investor wants to see when they log into their trading account is a red-letter message that their margin is being called. The Globe's Andrew Galbraith writes that in a market slump, investors can face margin calls -- requirements to provide additional securities or cash if the value of the collateral falls below a certain threshold -- and possible forced sales of their holdings. A growing number of Canadian investors who have used leverage to try to boost returns may find themselves uncomfortably exposed in an increasingly uncertain market. New data from the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) last week showed that Canadians borrowed near record amounts from their brokerages in margin accounts in January, weeks before the outbreak of war in the Middle East. Total client margin debt reported to CIRO by investment dealers stood at $47.3-billion in January, up more than 23 per cent from a year earlier and just $1-million shy of an all-time high in November, 2025. Power Corp.'s Wealthsimple, TD Direct Investing, Interactive Brokers, Scotia iTrade, Questrade and CIBC Investor's Edge have long offered margin accounts to investors.