Building wealth through stocks doesn’t require market timing. Instead, one of the most effective strategies is to identify high-quality Canadian stocks and hold them for the long term, such as seven years.
A seven-year investment horizon can help overcome short-term volatility, enabling investors to benefit from companies’ long-term growth potential. Further, investors with a long-term outlook should look for companies with the ability to deliver above-average growth and benefit from multi-year demand trends.
Within this context, here are three Canadian stocks I’d buy today and confidently hold for the next seven years, thanks to their strong fundamentals and ability to deliver above-average returns.
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Canadian stock #1: Celestica
Celestica (TSX:CLS) is one of the top Canadian growth stocks to hold for the next 7 years. While Celestica’s shares have already skyrocketed, it still has ample room to run.
Celestica’s Connectivity & Cloud Solutions (CCS) business remains its key growth catalyst, providing advanced networking equipment and data centre solutions to enterprise and communications customers. Demand for these products is rising as hyperscale cloud providers expand their artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) infrastructure.
For the second quarter, Celestica expects revenue of $4.15 billion to $4.45 billion, implying approximately 49% year-over-year growth at the midpoint. Adjusted EPS is projected to rise 61%, supported by expanding operating margins and improving business mix.
The CCS division is expected to remain the key contributor, with communications revenue forecasted to increase roughly 50% and enterprise revenue about 130%. Growth is being driven by rising deployments of high-speed networking switches and expanding AI-related data centre spending.
Management recently raised its 2026 revenue target to $19 billion and expects adjusted EPS of $10.15. As AI infrastructure investment continues to scale and demand for advanced networking solutions remains robust, Celestica appears well-positioned to deliver sustained earnings growth over the coming years.
Canadian stock #2: MDA Space
MDA Space (TSX:MDA) is another top Canadian stock to hold for the next seven years. As a leading space technology company, MDA is benefiting from rising defence spending, increasing satellite deployments, and growing demand for Earth observation data, all of which are expected to remain strong for years.
Its satellite systems business is gaining traction through major communications programs and next-generation satellite constellations, positioning MDA to capitalize on a growing global launch market. At the same time, its robotics division offers exposure to high-potential areas such as lunar exploration and space infrastructure through a mix of government and commercial contracts. The geointelligence segment adds further stability, driven by steady demand for data analytics and Earth observation services.
MDA’s financial outlook remains encouraging. With a $3.7 billion backlog at the end of the first quarter of 2026 and an opportunity pipeline approaching $40 billion, the company has strong visibility into future growth.
Canadian stock #3: Aritzia
Aritzia (TSX:ATZ) is another top stock worth holding for years. It has the ability to deliver above-average growth supported by its strong brand equity, loyal customer base, and expanding boutique network. The luxury apparel retailer continues to post robust growth, driven by healthy traffic across stores and digital channels and rising demand for its exclusive brands.
Beyond revenue growth, Aritzia’s disciplined execution is strengthening profitability. Lower markdowns, effective cost management, and efficient inventory control have contributed to rapid earnings expansion. Its omnichannel strategy is also enhancing customer engagement and supporting e-commerce growth, while ongoing investments in digital and mobile platforms position the company to capture additional market share.
As the company deepens customer relationships, expands its retail footprint, and maintains operational discipline, it appears well-positioned to deliver sustained earnings growth and attractive shareholder returns over the next seven years.
