Canada Investment Summit to be held in Toronto in September, targeting $1 trillion in investments and 'more high-paying career opportunities' for Canadians
Prime Minister Mark Carney is putting long-term investment — and Canada’s talent base — at the centre of his government’s economic agenda with a new Canada Investment Summit in Toronto this fall.
Announced Friday, the two-day meeting on Sept. 14 and 15, 2026, is designed to gather global investors, CEOs, and entrepreneurs to discuss how to unlock $1 trillion in capital over five years for large-scale nation‑building projects. The event will be hosted by the federal government in partnership with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board, two of the country’s most influential institutional investors, according to a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The government says it intends to use the summit to steer capital into clean energy, critical minerals, artificial intelligence, and other technologies — sectors it argues will generate thousands of high‑paying careers. Carney has invited 100 large global investors, including private investment firms and sovereign wealth funds, CBC News reported.
For HR leaders, that agenda signals both opportunity and pressure: the jobs the summit aims to catalyze will demand a highly skilled workforce, sophisticated workforce planning, and new approaches to attraction and retention. It also follows what officials describe as a year‑long campaign to reposition Canada as a destination of choice for foreign direct investment.
The PMO says the government has already secured more than $97 billion in recent foreign investment commitments and over 20 new economic and defence partnerships, building toward its trillion‑dollar target.
Summit aims to counter exodus of foreign investment
Carney has framed the gathering as a response to a decade of fading international investment. A recent report from RBC Economics found that more than $1 trillion in foreign capital exited Canada between 2015 and 2024 — what the report calls the largest capital exodus in modern Canadian history — even as last year marked the first time since 2015 that inbound foreign direct investment topped $100 billion, the Canadian Press reported.
“Canada has what the world wants. We’re an energy superpower, with the most educated workforce in the world and rock-solid fiscal strength,” Carney said in the release. “The first-ever Canada Investment Summit will capitalise on those advantages to help drive billions of new investments into Canada. That means more growth for our businesses, more high-paying career opportunities, and a stronger, more independent Canadian economy for all.”
Support from major pension funds
The involvement of CPP Investments and PSP Investments underscores the talent dimension. Both organizations manage retirement assets for millions of Canadians and employ large, globally connected investment teams.
For HR and C‑suite leaders, it points to a broader expectation that employers will help translate Canada’s structural advantages — from a highly educated workforce to broad trade access — into concrete projects and careers. Ottawa notes that Canada has free trade agreements with 51 countries representing about two‑thirds of global GDP, as well as what it calls the best tax treatment for new business investment in the G7.
At the same time, the summit is being launched amid short‑term challenges for many employers. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business reported this week that Canada has seen six consecutive quarters with more small businesses closing than opening, according to the Canadian Press. HR leaders navigating wage pressures, skills shortages and cost containment will be watching to see whether the summit’s promised investments translate into tangible opportunities for smaller firms as well as large corporations.
Backdrop of global uncertainty
The timing also coincides with global volatility. The PMO’s announcement comes as Canada is grappling with higher gas prices linked to the Iran war and tariffs imposed by the United States, creating additional uncertainty for corporate planning.
For now, details on the summit’s agenda and invite list are limited beyond the federal government’s pledge to convene leading global investors in Toronto. What is clear is that Ottawa sees human capital as central to its pitch: the PMO highlighted Canada’s highly educated workforce, strong banking system and relatively low public‑debt burden as core selling points for investors.
