Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to welcome investors from around the world to Toronto on Monday as Canada launches its first-ever investment summit, a two-day event designed to attract major new investment and advance some of the country’s biggest projects.
Hundreds of executives and global asset managers are expected in Toronto to assess projects at various stages of development. Carney, members of his cabinet and premiers from across Canada will spend the next two days making the case for investment opportunities spanning energy, infrastructure, critical minerals and other strategic sectors.
The summit formally opens Monday evening with a gala dinner at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The event is closed to both the public and the media.
Carney offered an early preview of the government’s ambitions Sunday evening during a reception attended by Canadian business leaders and politicians, suggesting that several investment agreements have already been signed.
“We have what the world wants: the energy, the resources, the talent, the technology and the capital,” Carney said.
He also highlighted what he described as one of Canada’s most important advantages: trust.
“And our greatest strength is something that cannot be found on any balance sheet: trust,” he said, an apparent reference to the increasingly strained relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, investors will meet with Carney and other senior officials at the downtown Four Seasons Hotel, where presentations will focus on Canada’s investment environment and the opportunities available across the country.
The summit represents a central component of Carney’s broader economic strategy, which seeks to stimulate $1 trillion in investment in Canada over the next five years.
Speaking Sunday, Carney acknowledged that participants will not necessarily agree on every issue. What matters, he said, is that they share a common direction for the country.
“There is a new consensus from Iqaluit to Victoria to Quebec City and St. John’s. Canada is taking control of our future,” Carney said.
“We will build more, we will trade more with each other and the world, and we will create more sustainable prosperity here at home.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said the summit’s international guest list includes investors and representatives from Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Qatar, Norway, Japan and Australia.
For Ontario, Ford said, the gathering is an opportunity to strengthen international relationships and attract capital to projects across the province.
