Politicians, CEOs pitch Canada’s fundamentals in bid to attract investment

TORONTO – Business leaders and politicians say an investment supercycle is taking hold in Canada as investors from around the world flock to Toronto this week for a summit pitching the country as an attractive investment for foreign money.    

Speaking at Global Dialogues Toronto, hosted by the Milken Institute think tank, TD chief executive Raymond Chun said he is seeing a more streamlined approval process for strategic projects and is encouraged by the progress thus far.

“The investment supercycle is beginning to take shape,” he said.  

Chun’s comments come as TD Bank announced it’s committing $150 billion over five years to accelerate investment in the country. The other major banks have made similar announcements in recent days outlining their own lending plans for Canadian projects.

Chun highlighted specific industries including energy, critical minerals, infrastructure, as well as defence and aerospace, as potential investment targets.  

“The early signs of this opportunity are extremely encouraging. We’re seeing streamlined approval processes, strategic projects moving from concept to execution faster, and policies encouraging progress and investment,” Chun said. 

“The evidence is clear. Canada is beginning to move at the speed this moment requires.”

RBC president and CEO Dave McKay said during a panel discussion that foreign investors have underallocated funds in Canada for more than a decade due to a perception the country wasn’t getting projects to market fast enough.   

However, he said circumstances are changing. 

“Those are the old tapes. Investors now believe that there’s been a pivot and a change in philosophy,” McKay said, pointing to tax changes and the government’s major projects office. 

McKay also said that as Canada pushes to diversify its economy beyond the United States, international players can capitalize on that.

Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne also spoke at the Global Dialogues conference, saying a few key factors position the country as a good target for investment.

One thing that sets Canada apart, he said, is its stability. 

“I would say Canada inspires trust in the world today,” Champagne said.

“People (who) are making big bets are certainly looking for countries that can offer them stability, predictability, rule of law (and) trust over the long term.”   

Selling the country as a trustworthy partner has been part of the federal government’s messaging ahead of the Canada Investment Summit and a key component of their pitch to the investment managers and corporate executives in town for it.

Amid a changing global trade order, he said investors are looking for places to allocate capital for the next 40 to 50 years.

He said Canada has strong fundamentals, including an educated workforce, a robust manufacturing sector and proximity to resources.

Champagne said the energy industry will also be a significant driver for the country, both in the conventional and renewable power sectors.

“Those who house the energy, whether it’s conventional, renewable or nuclear, will certainly be having a head start in the economy in the 21st century.”

He also said that Canada is one of the “very few” countries that has all the critical minerals needed to support efforts for reindustrialization. 

The federal government said in a news release Monday that investors putting $1 billion or more into the Canadian economy will now get priority access to a program that offers binding decisions from the Canada Revenue Agency.

Through the existing Advance Income Tax Rulings program, qualifying investors can get clarity on how income tax law will apply before they commit capital.

“This is one of the best practices that I’ve seen to provide additional certainty … people who are going to invest in large projects among the billion, we’re going to provide them (with) an advanced tax relief to provide certainty,” Champagne said.   

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 14, 2026.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TD)