Canada’s largest pension funds have also made similar funding and investment announcements this week. (Credit: Peter Power/Postmedia)
Some of Canada’s biggest financial players this week have promised to deploy billions of dollars in sectors such as defence, energy and artificial intelligence that will likely play a key role in boosting the country’s economy.
Their promises come ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Canada Investment Summit next week that will bring together global investors, Canadian executives and public-sector representatives.
They also come after Canada’s top banking regulator in June reduced the amount of money that the Big Six banks must keep aside to tackle financial shocks, which has freed up billions of dollars in capital. Analysts expect a lot of that excess capital will be used to fund major national projects in the coming years.
“The central question for investors remains whether Canada can convert more than $1 trillion of ambition, capital availability, and policy support into executable projects that generate durable private-sector returns,” John Aiken, an analyst at Jefferies Inc., said in a note on Wednesday. “We anticipate that the summit will provide the roadmap of how Carney and his government plan to achieve their lofty goals.”
Bank of Montreal on Friday said it aims to “mobilize” up to $70 billion in new capital over 10 years.
“Building Canada has always depended on bold ideas backed by capital,” chief executive Darryl White said in a statement. “The opportunities before us today in these critical economic sectors are the latest chapter in that story.”
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce on Thursday announced a $2-billion commitment to help small and mid-sized defence-related businesses grow, including those in the energy, cybersecurity, digital capability, infrastructure and advanced technology sectors.
“Canadian companies in the defence and resiliency ecosystem are poised to play a critical role in strengthening our economy, advancing innovation and enhancing national resilience,” Susan Rimmer, CIBC’s head of commercial banking, said in a statement. “We are bringing together funding, sector expertise, market access and strategic connections to help Canadian businesses.”
Earlier this week, Royal Bank of Canada announced a $1.4-billion initiative to invest in Canadian technology companies that have the potential to become global powerhouses. The lender will look to make direct equity investments in Canadian companies.
“Our ambition is simple: a future where more of the world’s next great companies build in Canada and stay in Canada,” chief executive Dave McKay said in a statement on Wednesday. “For decades, Canada has produced an outsized share of world-class entrepreneurs and tech talent who want to build global companies at home. But when they’re ready to scale, too often they get pulled elsewhere.”
And Bank of Nova Scotia published a framework based on which the lender can issue Canadian defence bonds to support companies in the sector.
“Publishing this framework is how we bring discipline and transparency to the capital we deploy in support of Canada’s security and industrial capacity,” executive vice-president Brandon Konigsberg said in a statement on Tuesday.
Canada’s largest pension funds have also made similar announcements.
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board on Thursday said it expects to boost investments in Canada by 30 to 40 per cent over the next few years to bring its total assets invested at home above the $100 billion level.
The fund’s target stems from a more uncertain global landscape alongside new opportunities at home, chief executive Deb Orida said.
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board on Friday said it plans to invest an additional $10 billion by the end of 2027 in public and private Canadian investments.
“We believe Canada has a strong role to play in a global investment portfolio. With about one-third of our portfolio in Canada today, we know first-hand the appeal of Canada as an investment destination,” chief executive Jo Taylor said in a statement.
Also on Friday, Sun Life Financial Inc. said it would deploy $5 billion over five years into investments that support Canada’s economic growth and resilience.
The investments will help build critical infrastructure, including digital technology, energy, and transportation and logistics, it said.
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