OTTAWA -- It won’t have the Hollywood glamour of Toronto’s marquee film festival which takes place at the same time, but what the Canada Investment Summit lacks in star power, it will make up for in deep pockets. The summit guest list organized by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) doesn’t include celebrities, but it does include big institutional investors who are collectively responsible for allocating more than $100 trillion in capital funds. Prime Minister Mark Carney has set the ambitious goal of “catalyzing” $1 trillion in investment over the next five years. That will involve pitching major projects, and convincing investors to write some big cheques. But meeting the goal has grown more challenging since the summit was first announced in April. Trade talks with the U.S. have collapsed. The White House has launched new 50 per cent tariffs and Canada is set to retaliate after Labour Day. There has also been internal upheaval, the summit’s key organizers, the CEO of Invest in Canada, Laurel Broten, quit without explanation, two weeks before the event. The prime minister has since appointed former ambassador to China and current Rio Tinto chair Dominic Barton to chair the federal agency. The prime pitchman While Canada’s future with the U.S. may not be tariff-free, it does have free-trade agreements with 50 other countries. At the summit, Carney will be the top pitchman, while the 13 provincial and territorial premiers are expected to play key roles. A mix of industry and government sources say that more than 100 institutional investors are expected to attend the summit Sept. 14 and 15. CTV News is not identifying the sources because they were not authorized to speak since organization of the event is being handled by the PMO. The invitees come from at least 11 different countries, and include the heads of investment banks, managers of state-owned funds and large pension funds. At a time when Trump officials are hurling more insults, Carney’s event has attracted 33 American investment firms - the biggest contingent among the countries. The second largest group of investors is homegrown and includes Canada’s largest pension funds. Here is a partial list of investor groups by country attending the Canada Investment Summit as told to CTV News: One source tells CTV News that the right people are in the room, but they aren’t coming to “play.” “They don’t want to hear speeches. What they’ve said, is ‘I’m coming – so tell me what I can buy,’” the source said. A cushion and headstart In April, the PMO said that its capital investments over five years in support of third parties, totalling about $280 billion, are expected to enable more than $1 trillion in total investments. To get to that $1-trillion goal, provincial and municipal governments and big institutional investors in Canada and overseas will have to open up their wallets. Since becoming prime minister, Carney has prioritized meeting private and state-owned investor groups on his overseas trips. Before the trade war escalated, Carney was able to secure investment commitments from some other nations. In November 2025, during a visit to the United Arab Emirates, the leaders of the UAE’s sovereign wealth funds committed to investing $70 billion in Canada’s critical minerals, energy, ports and AI, but no specific projects were named. Four state-owned funds from the UAE will be in Toronto. So will the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund from Norway. On Friday, Norges Bank Investment Management which runs the $2.3-trillion fund, announced a proposal to cut its holding of U.S. Treasury Bonds to improve returns. As it restructures its investments, the fund’s top official will get a closer look at what Canada has to offer. Breakout sessions The glitzy Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Toronto will host the summit. The agenda, shared with CTV News, shows a keynote speech by the prime minister, and panel discussions in the main ballroom. Five ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Industry Minister Melanie Joly and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu, will also host investment sessions. Themes include “Delivering on Canada’s Nation Building Agenda” and “Partnering with Canada’s Pension Plans.” But the real deals will be sealed in breakout rooms behind closed doors. ‘Industry ready to deliver’ The Churchill Falls and Gull Island Hydro electric energy plan will likely be another project that will be opened for foreign investment. Carney described it as the “largest clean energy investment in North America,” with the potential of generating up to 14,000 megawatts of electricity. Once new generating stations, wind turbines and transmission lines are built, officials say the project could be valued at more than $50 billion. The government of Newfoundland and Labrador said in a statement to CTV News that it is already home to “many major developments with other upcoming projects requiring capital investment.” “Newfoundland and Labrador has a portfolio of diverse developments such as offshore oil, hydroelectricity, emerging natural gas resources, wind-hydrogen projects and numerous mining operations given that the province is home to 34 critical minerals.” Newfoundland and Labrador officials call the investment summit being led by the federal government “a great opportunity to show investors that Canada has what the world needs and that the industry is ready to deliver.”
