Canada Held a Big Meeting to Attract Money. Here's What Happened
Prime Minister Mark Carney opened the first Canada Investment Summit in Toronto on September 14 and 15, 2026. Premiers held meetings just before it started to attract money for projects in their own provinces. The Globe and Mail
Hundreds of investors were expected in Toronto. Together, they look after nearly $120 trillion in assets, or money they manage for others. Al Jazeera Ottawa says the event is a practical meeting place for long-horizon capital, money that stays invested for many years. Government of Canada
Carney announced the summit on April 17 as a way to bring billions in new money to Canada. An early preview put the investor pool at $120 trillion in assets under management, the total amount they manage. The September plan centred on a list of more than 160 projects at different stages that are open for money, like a shop window for investors.
Provinces run parallel pitches
New Brunswick and British Columbia sent mobile billboards around Yorkville in Toronto during the summit. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt and Natural Resources Minister John Herron went to Toronto to promote more than $30-billion in investment chances listed by the province.
The New Brunswick list includes mining projects, growth of the port at Belledune and a data centre at Lorneville, a large building that holds computer systems.
Saskatchewan held its own Invest in Saskatchewan Forum on Monday before the national summit. Premier Scott Moe took part. At that forum, Moe and BCE Inc. announced plans to quadruple BCE's spending on artificial-intelligence data centres in Saskatchewan.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she brought a list of 34 proposed projects to show investors. CityNews
Carney said in July he looked forward to welcoming Saudi investors to the Toronto summit in September 2026. The public record does not list firm promises from any delegation.
Churchill, data centres and the 160-project list
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew spoke to investors about a large growth plan for the Port of Churchill. He spoke at the Canadian Global Growth Forum, a side event run by the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.
Kinew said Manitoba will drop the provincial sales tax on large building costs tied to the Port of Churchill Plus project.
The plan would need icebreakers, special ships that clear ice, in Hudson Bay to lengthen the shipping season. It would also need a better rail line and a new energy corridor, a planned route for power lines and pipes.
In February, the federal government announced a market-sounding study, an early check with business, to ask industry about the project's promise.
The summit list included a proposed $10.9-billion high-speed rail link. The Globe and Mail It sits with resource, port and digital plans in the list of more than 160 projects put together by organizers.
Carney has said Ottawa would name a certain number of projects as in the national interest to build them faster. That is a federal label meant to speed up approvals. Reuters
The broader context here is two levels of government working in public. Ottawa brought investors together and made a national list. Premiers used the same rooms, and rooms down the street, to push projects that fall mainly under provincial control of resources, power and local approvals. The billboards, side meeting and tax offer show provinces came to compete.
Looking at what this means for people who follow these projects, the test is signed deals, not the size of the list. Buying, permits, talks with Indigenous peoples and final money choices still happen project by project. The premiers treated Toronto as an opening bid, not a closing.
