The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada hosted a roundtable discussion on September 16, 2026, on the margins of the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, Ontario. 

APF Canada's The Asia Ask event convened key Canadian players in investment attraction to exchange views on how best to take the momentum of the Canada Investment Summit forward in a specifically Asian context. The group defined a shared understanding of key messages and opportunities for investment that should be profiled in Asia, as well as next steps for Canada.

Key Takeaways for Investors in Asia

Canada has genuinely changed, and this is a long-term commitment, not a reaction.

Under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, there is now real, top-down alignment. Every department and every level of government is telling a consistent story, something several participants said they had never seen before. 

In addition to the establishment of the Major Projects Office, Canada has implemented numerous regulatory changes such as the Productivity Mega Deduction and the permitting commitment of "one project, one review, one year" that will improve the experience for foreign investors. 

We understand that, in the past, Canada's reputation was “trustworthy but slow.” We invite Asian investors to re-explore opportunities in Canada, and we are committed to ensuring your experience is different this time around.

Canadian capital believes in Canada. Canadian pension funds and institutional capital have announced funds for major investments in Canada.

Examples include the $50-billion Maple Fund to invest in critical infrastructure and strategic industries, by CPP Investments and Brookfield Asset Management, and announcements from Canada’s top banks that commit nearly $325 billion in new financing for Canadian businesses and infrastructure. A full summary is available here. 

Not only this, Canadian pension and institutional capital is ready to co-invest with Asian investors.

Canada is a global country with global partners — not simply a market in its own right, and not just a backdoor to the U.S.

By year-end, Canada's anticipated trade agreements will give investors access to additional markets covering roughly 3 billion people on top of the 1.5 billion already covered by our 15 free trade agreements that span 51 countries. 

On the U.S. relationship: Canada remains a committed free-trading nation, and diversification strengthens Canada's resilience. The Trump administration has sent mixed messages regarding Canada’s diversification initiatives, though it was noted that several American companies and investors are increasing their own exposure to Canada — for example, Meta has committed C$13 billion to build its first Canadian data centre in Alberta. Some roundtable participants felt that investors need not worry that investing in Canada will impact their relationship with the U.S. 

A Canada–U.S. deal will be reached, and investing in Canada positions investors to take advantage of this deal. 

Download the full summary report above.