After a historic dry spell, Canada is back on the radar of global investors.
Driving the news: Prominent Dutch investment group Reggeborgh is planning to invest $1 billion in Canada, per The Logic. The deals, which are focused on backing infrastructure and energy projects, are being spearheaded by Maurits van Oranje, a member of the Netherlands’ royal family.
Execs from another Dutch investor, Amsterdam real estate firm Bouwinvest, also met with the feds in December to explore investments in Canada’s housing market.
Why it matters: The Carney government has made attracting foreign investment a pillar of its economic plan. After a decade that saw the largest exodus of foreign capital in Canadian history, investors from overseas are finally starting to return with their wallets open.
Foreign direct investment in Canada hit nearly $100 billion last year, the highest mark since 2007. But between 2015 and 2024, over $1 trillion of investment left Canada (for every $1 of foreign capital invested in the country, $2 said goodbye).
What’s next: Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has been globetrotting like Taylor Swift over the past year pitching private investors, is hosting a summit in Toronto this fall with 100 of the world’s biggest investors. The goal of the conference is to attract $1 trillion in capital.
Bottom line: Aside from the U.S. and China, no country in the world has exported more direct investment than Canada over the past decade. With so much domestic capital being sent abroad, Canada needs help from foreign investors to fuel growth at home.—LA
