The inaugural Canada Investment Summit will be held in Toronto on September 14 and 15 , co-hosted by Prime Minister Carney and Canada’s two largest pension funds. The summit is expected to attract executives from nearly 100 large investment institutions in 28 countries, collectively managing nearly $120 trillion in assets. Global financial giants gather
Attendees are expected to include Jonathan Gray, president of Blackstone; Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock; and senior executives from major financial institutions such as Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, KKR, PIMCO, and TPG. Representatives from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Qatar Investment Authority, and Singapore’s Temasek are also expected to attend. The summit is expected to have approximately 250 participants, mostly CEOs and senior executives from Canadian and overseas companies. Canada aims to attract $500 billion in investment over five years.
The federal government hopes to attract $500 billion in new private investment over the next five years and accelerate large-scale projects in energy, infrastructure, critical minerals, cutting-edge technologies, aerospace, and defence. Carney, a former central bank governor, has extensive connections in the global financial world, and it’s reported that many guests were personally invited by him. The ongoing restructuring of the global trade order due to US policies and the US-Canada trade friction has led international investors to reconsider their capital allocations, and Canada hopes to seize this opportunity to attract more overseas capital. “Critical 24 Hours” to Win Over Investors
John Graham, CEO of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, described the fact that the world’s largest investor was willing to spend 24 hours meeting with Canadian officials as a rare investment opportunity. The summit will open with a dinner on the evening of September 14, followed by plenary sessions, panel discussions, and closed-door meetings the next day. The organizers will also arrange matchmaking meetings between businesses and investors. Canadian officials are preparing investment brochures to showcase potential opportunities to international capital. Success or failure depends not only on signing the contract on the spot
Some investment agreements may be announced during the summit, but the organizers emphasized that the real goal is not to sign agreements on the spot, but to encourage investors to invest more time and resources in researching the Canadian market after the summit and ultimately establish long-term cooperation.
Currently, Canada’s major pension funds manage approximately CAD 2.6 trillion in assets, but on average only about a quarter are invested in Canada; the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s domestic investment ratio is even lower at only 12%. Many large overseas investors allocate less than 1% of their assets to Canada. Graham argues that, based on Canada’s share of the global capital market, foreign investment in Canada should be two to three times higher than it is now. Whether Canada can absorb the funding will be a test.
Another major issue at the summit was whether Canada already had enough mature, investable projects to attract global funding. The business community believes that, in addition to large-scale infrastructure projects, Canada also needs to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence, new technologies, and innovative enterprises. The organizers hope the summit will serve as a “starting line” for more large-scale projects to be implemented. Graham stated that if Canada wants to demonstrate its ambition to the world, it needs to reduce its excessive conservatism and truly translate the current interest of international investors in Canada into funds and projects.