Alberta to pitch 34 projects at Carney's first national investment summit

Prime Minister Mark Carney will host Canada's first national investment summit in Toronto on Sept. 14 and 15, bringing together hundreds of global and domestic investors managing trillions of dollars, along with cabinet members, premiers and business leaders. The event, co-organized by the Prime Minister's Office alongside the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Public Sector Pension Investments, aims to address what experts call Canada's persistent shortfall in business investment.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says she will present a list of 34 proposed projects to investors at the summit. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe plans to promote his province's energy, critical mineral, defence and agriculture sectors, while New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt intends to pitch a port expansion, a Lorneville data centre and the Mactaquac power plant rehabilitation project.

The summit reflects Carney's capital-focused agenda since taking office 18 months ago, with a stated goal of catalyzing $1 trillion in investment over five years. A CPP Investment Board survey of 65 major asset managers found Canada's energy sector is seen globally as highly attractive but carries the sharpest risks, including fears of policy reversals and regulatory fragmentation. Canada ranked second only to Singapore on policy predictability, a factor nearly 70% of surveyed investors called essential.

Analysts including the C.D. Howe Institute's Jeremy Kronick credited federal measures such as the major projects office and the One Canadian Economy Act with shifting Canada's investment reputation, though they noted issues like interprovincial trade barriers remain unresolved.