TORONTO — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada has an unprecedented opportunity to build up the economy as global investors descend in Toronto for a high-stakes summit, and teased that a number of deals have already been signed. Hundreds of executives and global asset managers are arriving in Toronto for Canada’s first-ever investment summit to get a look at major projects in various stages of development. Speaking Sunday evening at the Royal Ontario Museum, Carney told Canadian business leaders and politicians that the world is looking at Canada different, and that Canada should do the same. “We have what the world wants: the energy, the resources, the talent, the technology and the capital,” Carney said. “And our greatest strength is something that cannot be found on any balance sheet: trust,” he said, in an apparent jab at U.S. President Donald Trump. Among those in attendance were Cohere CEO Aidan Gomez and Canada’s chief trade commissioner, Sara Wilshaw. The summit is a key part of Carney’s plan for stimulating $1 trillion in investment in Canada over the next five years. Carney said while those in the room may not always agree, nor do they need to, they all align on where Canada is going. “There is a new consensus from Iqaluit to Victoria to Quebec City and St. Johns: Canada is taking control of our future,” he 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 invitees come from Kuwait, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Singapore, Qatar, Norway, Japan and Australia. “This is about building relationships, opening doors and making the case that Ontario is one of the most investable places anywhere in the world,” Ford said in a media statement. He said 15 major projects in Ontario are up for offer, including energy production and transmission, critical minerals and mining, AI and advanced manufacturing. “We are building an economy that can compete with anyone, anywhere. That’s going to be my message throughout the Canada Investment Summit,” Ford said. “Ontario has what the world needs and we’re going to make sure the world knows it.” While Ford and Carney pitched the summit as an opportunity for investments in Canada, civil society groups say they’re keeping company with business leaders that are exacerbating global crises. Demonstrators, including labour unions, Indigenous leaders and climate and housing advocates, will mobilize Monday carrying a banner reading “The Many vs. The Money,” and plan “direct intervention” with attendees. Organizers say they reject Carney’s plan to put Canada’s economic future in the hands of CEOs, and that they worry about the future of public services, pipelines and arms manufacturing. With files from Craig Lord and Alessia Passafiume in Ottawa Kathryn Mannie, The Canadian Press
