CPP Investments CEO John Graham delivers remarks at the Canada Investment Summit

TORONTO, Sept. 15, 2026 /CNW/ -- On Tuesday, September 15, 2026, John Graham, President & CEO of Canda Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), delivered the following remarks at the Canada Investment Summit in Toronto, Ontario.

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Good afternoon, everyone. I would like to echo the Prime Minister and thank all of you for joining us at the Canada Investment Summit. It is great to see so many partners and friends in the room.

Like many of you, I have attended several investment summits around the world. They are a good opportunity for a host to showcase an economy's dynamism, its opportunity set, and the message of being "open for business." But until today, I had never attended one in Canada.

Seeing the energy and enthusiasm here in this room, I would say that today is exactly the right day for the event.

Over the past couple of years, my conversations about Canada with global investors has changed. Sure, investors respect the country, but hadn't seriously considered deploying capital at scale. But lately, the question I get is: what are we missing in Canada?

Investors are curious about Canada. This Summit's practical job is to convert that curiosity into interest, and that interest into real action. I am confident we can do just that.

The central question on everyone's mind: why should a global investor allocate more capital to Canada than before? My answer to that: Canada has not fundamentally changed overnight. But the investment case has.

The world's priorities have shifted. Canada's relative strategic value has increased, and Canada is responding with renewed ambition, urgency and partnership.

For decades, capital allocation was optimized around efficiency: global supply chains, low interest rates, abundant liquidity, and lowest-cost production. That is no longer the whole equation.

As investors reassess risk and opportunity, they place a much higher premium on resilience, secure supply chains, reliable energy, trusted partners, policy predictability, and geopolitical alignment. These are no longer nice-to-haves. They are a must have. And, they are Canadian strengths.

At CPP Investments, we invest in more than 50 countries and weigh Canadian opportunities against those everywhere in the world. Our mandate is to maximize long-term returns without undue risk for more than 22 million Canadians. We are not required to invest in Canada. We invest here when an opportunity earns its place on a risk return basis.

We ask the same questions of any investment destination.

First: can we trust the rules? Canada has strong rule of law, independent institutions, low corruption exposure, and political continuity. Our federation is complex, but our democracy is vigorous, and the commitments investors care about don't shift from election to election. At CPP Investments we know this firsthand. We are accountable to 10 governments. We have invested since inception through more than 75 general elections, across every political stripe, without skipping a beat.

Second: can capital be put to work? Canada is simplifying how decisions get made. Governments, Indigenous partners, operators and investors are coordinating earlier and moving with greater urgency. These changes matter. There is a generational opportunity before us, and windows do not stay open indefinitely. Capital moves and it rewards countries that can translate strategic advantages into investable projects. Canada is showing it can do exactly that.

Third: is there scale and dynamism? Canada isn't the world's largest market. But more than a market, it is a platform, with access to major trading partners and real sectoral scale. Canada has assets the world needs and global capital wants. Conventional and clean energy, critical minerals, power, AI infrastructure, transportation, advanced manufacturing, agriculture and a leading financial services sector. Add strong universities and a skilled, highly educated talent pool, and it's a resource-plus-talent story.

Fourth: is there an ecosystem to execute? A strong yes. Deep capital markets, Toronto is a financial centre. With strong domestic banks, the "Maple 8" pension institutions and experienced asset managers.

Many of you already partner with Canadian institutions globally, relationships that can help you source and scale here.

Let me be clear: CPP Investments stands ready to be your partner. The portfolio case for Canada is grounded in risk-adjusted returns. That does not mean putting an entire portfolio here. It means Canada merits a weight heavier than market capitalization alone would suggest.

I am optimistic about this moment. Not complacent. A country does not become investible by declaring it so. Canada is turning advantages into projects, approvals, commercial structures and credible execution.

The momentum is real. This Summit is not a victory lap. It is a working session whose value will be measured by what happens next.

My ask is simple. Identify one opportunity worth diligencing, one Canadian partner worth building with, and one concrete next action.

Canada has not changed overnight. But its strategic value has. The world now places a higher premium on qualities Canada spent decades building. Canada is putting them to work with real ambition. Let us convert curiosity into interest, and interest into action.

Thank you.

About CPP Investments

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments™) is a professional investment management organization that manages the Canada Pension Plan Fund in the best interest of the more than 22 million contributors and beneficiaries. In order to build diversified portfolios of assets, we make investments around the world in public equities, private equities, real estate, infrastructure, fixed income and alternative strategies including in partnership with funds. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Hong Kong, London, Mumbai, New York City, São Paulo and Sydney, CPP Investments is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm's length from governments. At June 30, 2026, the Fund totalled C$863.6 billion. For more information, please visit www.cppinvestments.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram or on X @CPPInvestments.

SOURCE Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

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