The inaugural Canada Investment Summit demonstrated the depth of global investor interest in Canada. Investors from nearly 30 countries, managing more than $100 trillion in assets, gathered in Toronto in September to assess opportunities across the economy. Canada’s challenge is to turn that interest into global champions, building on its established strengths while developing the industries that will shape tomorrow.
Much of the summit focused on sectors where Canada has long-standing strengths, including energy and infrastructure. CPP Investments and Brookfield launched the $50 billion Maple Fund for critical infrastructure and strategic industries, while TD Bank committed $150 billion in financing over five years across sectors including energy, critical minerals and infrastructure.
Equally important were investments aimed at newer industries. Radical Ventures announced plans to invest and mobilize $4 billion for Canadian AI scale-ups, while RBC committed to invest and mobilize nearly $1.5 billion to back high-potential Canadian technology companies.
Taken together, these announcements point to something bigger than individual transactions. They reflect a recognition that Canada offers both opportunities to deploy capital at scale and the foundations needed to build enduring companies of global significance.
As a Canadian who has lived in Abu Dhabi for 13 years and now co-leads Mubadala’s Private Equity platform, I have witnessed firsthand the remarkable economic transformation of the United Arab Emirates . Over the past four decades, the UAE has transformed hydrocarbon wealth into infrastructure, industrial capabilities, global connectivity and sovereign capital — and increasingly into technology leadership and a vibrant AI and knowledge economy. Throughout that transformation, the UAE has continued to invest in its existing strengths while making long-term bets on sectors that could produce its next generation of global champions.
While the parallels may not be obvious, both countries share important advantages: abundant energy resources, highly skilled populations and the ability to attract global talent. Both are also well-positioned to be trusted suppliers, customers and partners in an increasingly fragmented world. Energy, talent and trust are powerful foundations for long-term economic success.
The UAE has built on its leadership in oil and gas while developing newer sectors, from renewable energy and advanced manufacturing to AI. Canada has a similar opportunity: to build on globally competitive industries while creating the champions that will define its next generation of economic growth.
The technologies and industries expected to drive global growth over the coming decades increasingly overlap with areas where Canada has structural advantages. Nearly 65 per cent of working-age Canadians hold a tertiary qualification, the highest amongst OECD countries. Canadian higher-education research spending ranks second in the G7 relative to GDP. Canada has established AI research clusters in Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton, alongside a significant technology and engineering cluster in Waterloo. It has invested for decades in quantum science and is seeking to translate that research base into commercial leadership through its National Quantum Strategy.
Canada’s energy abundance adds another important dimension. Training and operating increasingly powerful AI models requires data centres and vast amounts of reliable electricity, making energy a critical technology input. Canada is the world’s fourth-largest oil producer and has enormous natural gas, hydroelectric, nuclear and uranium resources. Nearly 80 per cent of its electricity comes from non-emitting sources.
Looking ahead, Canada’s energy advantage could be measured in new ways. The next chapter should be defined not only by what Canada exports, but by what that energy enables at home, from powering computing to advanced manufacturing and other high-value industries. The opportunity is clear. But structural advantages alone do not create global champions. Ideas must be commercialized, companies must scale and promising businesses must expand into international markets. That is where long-term capital can make a meaningful difference.
As a global investor, I see an important role for international capital in helping Canadian companies translate those advantages into global scale. This requires more than money: it means combining capital with expertise, networks, long investment horizons and access to international markets. To attract international capital, three factors will matter most.
First, embed global partners in growth plans. Canada already has an exceptional base of experienced managers, companies and institutional partners, giving global investors trusted local relationships through which to understand the market and build conviction.
International investors can bring long-term capital, sector expertise, global relationships and the know-how to scale internationally.
Canadian partners bring deep local knowledge, established relationships, and an understanding of the businesses and institutions that shape the economy.
For companies with global ambitions, that means engaging with international investors well before a transaction is on the table, so when it comes time to scale, there is already mutual understanding, trust and a clear view of how each partner can add value.
Second, make clarity a competitive advantage. Clarity can lower the cost of capital. Predictability gives investors the confidence to take longer-term risks. This is particularly important in AI, quantum, energy, infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, which often require meaningful investments with long time horizons.
Regulatory clarity, the rule of law, and macroeconomic and political stability can give long-term investors the confidence to commit capital sooner and move investments forward. Challenges arise when there is uncertainty around decision-making, risk allocation and the path to execution. Canada has an opportunity to differentiate itself by reducing that uncertainty.
Third, make it easier to scale across and from Canada. For investors supporting growth firms, achieving significant domestic scale can indicate a company’s preparedness to expand globally. Yet fewer than 30 per cent of Canadian businesses sell products or services to customers in other provinces or territories.
Greater integration across Canada would make it easier for ambitious companies to expand beyond their home province, build a larger customer base, and develop the capabilities needed to compete internationally.
For global investors, the appeal lies not just in individual projects or sectors. It is the potential for these investments to reinforce one another, creating a stronger environment for growth. Canada has many of the necessary components to develop this kind of interconnected economy at scale.
Canada has no shortage of ideas, talent or ambition. The question is whether it can consistently translate those advantages into globally significant businesses. If it succeeds, the next generation of global champions will not simply operate in Canada. They will be built in Canada and scale from a Canadian base.
Camilla Languille is co-chief executive of Mubadala Investment Company’s Private Equity platform
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