Canadian Tech Firms Poised for U.S.-Like Growth

VANCOUVER -- Remember those beer-peddling hosers from Canada, Bob and Doug McKenzie? If they weren't busy campaigning to keep the National Hockey League's Senators in Ottawa they'd be enticing American technology investors to take off to the Great White North.

Tech firms north of the 49th parallel are on the cusp of a boom that some investors think will bring to Canadian markets the same explosive growth Americans have enjoyed the past three years.

Already the Toronto Stock Exchange 300 index, Canada's most-watched stock market benchmark, has been a stellar performer as tech gorillas like Nortel Networks (NT Quote) and JDS Uniphase (JDSU Quote) help power it to new highs. In 1999, the index returned a whopping 30%, outpacing the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Standard & Poor's 500, which gained 25.2% and 19.6%, respectively). It was the first time since 1993 Canadian shares bested their U.S. cousins. ...