Ahead of Toronto Summit, Canada Puts 167 Projects Before Global Investors in Test of $1-Trillion Plan

Canada will bring some of the world’s largest investors and financial executives to Toronto on September 14 and 15 for the inaugural Canada Investment Summit 2026, as Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government presents a pipeline of 167 investment opportunities at varying stages of development across energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, technology and advanced industries. The gathering forms part of Ottawa’s broader strategy to catalyze $1 trillion in total investment in Canada over five years.

Hosted by Carney in partnership with CPP Investments and PSP Investments, the summit is designed to connect global capital with Canadian companies, projects and public-sector leaders. The federal government describes it as a practical forum focused on long-horizon capital, commercial opportunities and productive assets capable of strengthening growth, supply chains and economic resilience.

The $1-trillion objective extends well beyond the two-day gathering. Federal fiscal plans include roughly $280 billion in government capital spending and incentives supporting third parties, which Ottawa expects to help enable more than $1 trillion in total investment. The government has separately set a target of attracting $500 billion in private investment over five years.

167 opportunities move into the investment conversation

The investment material prepared ahead of the summit identifies 167 Canadian opportunities, including pipelines, nuclear power, ports, mines, liquefied natural gas projects and AI-related data centres. The opportunities are not all at the same stage: the portfolio includes proposals requiring financing or strategic partners alongside projects still moving through earlier stages of development.

The concentration in energy, resources and infrastructure reflects sectors that require large pools of patient, long-term capital, while the inclusion of data centres and digital infrastructure places Canada’s investment pitch within the global surge in spending associated with artificial intelligence and computing capacity.

The summit also sits within a wider federal effort to accelerate major Canadian projects. Ottawa says the event is intended to help move projects forward, mobilize long-term capital, create jobs and strengthen Canada’s position in global supply chains rather than function solely as a promotional conference.

Canadian institutions announce billions ahead of the summit

A series of investment and financing commitments from Canadian banks, pension funds and asset managers has emerged in the days immediately preceding the summit, with much of the capital directed toward infrastructure, energy, technology, critical minerals and defence.

BMO announced on September 11 that it plans to mobilize up to $70 billion in new capital over 10 years for sectors considered critical to Canada’s economic security and resilience. The initiative covers electricity infrastructure, pipelines, transportation, mining and critical minerals, AI computing, defence and security, and oil and gas.

Also on September 11, Sun Life announced an initiative seeking to deploy $5 billion over five years into Canadian infrastructure investments, including digital technology, energy, transportation and logistics.

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan announced an objective to invest an additional $10 billion in Canada by the end of 2027 across public and private markets. The pension fund already holds approximately $100 billion in gross Canadian assets, representing about 30 per cent of its portfolio.

A day earlier, Power Sustainable announced plans to invest and mobilize more than $10 billion over five years into Canadian projects and companies spanning infrastructure equity and credit, clean energy, industrial businesses and agri-food investments.

In technology, RBC unveiled a $1.4-billion initiative aimed at Canadian technology companies with the potential to scale globally. The program includes the RBCx Growth Fund I, which will focus primarily on direct equity investments in later-stage Canadian companies.

CIBC added a further commitment on September 10, announcing $2 billion in financing support for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses in defence and dual-use technologies. Eligible sectors include infrastructure, energy, cybersecurity, digital capabilities and advanced technologies.

The announcements involve different instruments, investment criteria and time horizons—from lending and capital-market financing to direct equity investment—but collectively expand the pool of Canadian capital being directed toward many of the sectors at the centre of the summit’s investment agenda.

Global financial heavyweights head to Toronto

The summit is expected to draw roughly 200 senior global financial executives, according to the Financial Times, as Canada attempts to increase its share of global institutional capital and position itself as a stable destination for long-term investment.

A draft agenda reported by Bloomberg lists BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone President Jon Gray, Temasek CEO Dilhan Pillay and APG Chair Annette Mosman for a September 15 discussion on how leading global investors view Canada. Because the document was a draft when reported, individual appearances and session details remain subject to change.

Published accounts of the program also indicate that the main-stage discussions are expected to cover energy, critical minerals, defence and advanced technologies. A schedule reviewed by The Globe and Mail included a proposed energy panel with Ontario Power Generation CEO Nicolle Butcher, Suncor CEO Rich Kruger and TC Energy CEO François Poirier, while Prime Minister Carney was expected to open the main program with a keynote address and a discussion with PSP Investments CEO Deborah Orida. Those details should likewise be treated as expected programming until the organizers issue or confirm a final agenda.

International financial institutions are also expanding their Canadian operations ahead of the gathering. JPMorgan Chase recently appointed former CPP Investments executive Chris Finora to lead its Canadian cash-equities trading franchise, while JPMorgan Canada CEO David Rawlings told Reuters the bank expects inbound investment flows into Canada to accelerate and is positioning itself to capture more activity across public and private markets.

Saudi participation confirmed by Carney

Saudi participation has been confirmed through an official statement by Prime Minister Carney. During his July visit to Saudi Arabia, Carney said the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia would attend the Canada Investment Summit, where Canada would showcase major investment opportunities.

The announcement formed part of a broader expansion of Canada-Saudi economic relations. The two countries have been advancing negotiations on a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement and a double-taxation agreement, while identifying opportunities in energy, mining, critical minerals, infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, financial services and technology.

Separate investment activity involving Gulf institutions will also take place in Toronto around the summit. The Canadian Global Growth Forum, a distinct event scheduled for September 14, has announced participation by executives from institutions including Mubadala, Brookfield, HarbourVest, Northleaf and Sagard. Their participation in that forum should not be presented as confirmation of attendance at the federal Canada Investment Summit itself unless separately verified.

Bilateral meetings form part of the summit structure

The Canada Investment Summit is structured around more than public speeches and panel discussions. Its official event platform provides participants with tools to arrange bilateral meetings and investment sessions, placing direct discussions between investors, Canadian companies and project sponsors alongside the formal conference program.

The federal government says the summit is intended to bring capital providers and investment opportunities into direct contact, with an emphasis on moving viable projects forward and strengthening Canada’s ability to attract long-term productive investment.

Canada’s investment pitch comes amid a wider economic shift

The summit comes as Ottawa seeks to strengthen economic relationships outside the United States and attract capital into sectors capable of expanding Canada’s productive and export capacity. Carney’s government has increasingly tied energy, critical minerals, defence, infrastructure and technology investment to a wider strategy of economic resilience and trade diversification.

Canada’s official pitch emphasizes several structural advantages: a AAA sovereign credit rating, comparatively low public debt, large clean and conventional energy resources, significant critical-mineral deposits and trade agreements providing access to markets representing about 1.5 billion people.

The competition for global capital, however, extends beyond macroeconomic stability. Business leaders cited by the Financial Times have pointed to taxation, regulatory efficiency and infrastructure as factors that will affect Canada’s ability to convert investor interest into committed capital and completed projects.

What the $1-trillion target actually represents

The $1-trillion figure is not a target for deals expected to be announced during the two days in Toronto. It represents the government’s goal of catalyzing total investment across the Canadian economy over five years through a combination of public spending, incentives and private and institutional capital.

Ottawa has separately targeted $500 billion in private investment during that five-year period. When Carney announced the summit in April, the Prime Minister’s Office said Canada had secured more than $97 billion in foreign investment commitments and more than 20 new economic and defence partnerships over the preceding 12 months.

Canada therefore enters the summit with a defined pipeline of investment opportunities, new multibillion-dollar commitments from domestic financial institutions and participation from major international investors and sovereign capital. The economic impact of the Toronto gathering will ultimately be reflected in how many of the opportunities presented progress beyond meetings and due diligence into financing, partnerships and final investment decisions.