Fireside Chat, Conference Presentation
A Conversation with the Minister of Finance of Canada | Global Dialogues Toronto 2026
Milken InstituteRichard Ditizio, The Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, François-Philippe Champagne
- Canada anticipates a new era of strength by capitalizing on its leadership in the 21st-century energy economy, which encompasses conventional, renewable, and nuclear sources, positioning the nation at the center of a redesigned world energy architecture.
- Critical minerals are identified as essential for reindustrialization, with Canada targeting stability and predictability as a primary supplier of oil, gas, and these resources for partners in Asia-Pacific and Europe over the next 40 to 50 years.
- The country is mobilizing one trillion dollars in investment over the next five years, supported by a $425 billion cash infrastructure plan—the largest of the G7—and an advanced tax ruling for large investments exceeding one billion dollars to ensure additional certainty.
- To accelerate project deployment, Canada will move to a "one project, one review" approach and aims to remove interprovincial trade barriers, a step expected to generate approximately $200 billion in GDP.
- The Canada Strong Fund, capitalized with $25 billion in federal funds, is designed to take equity in game-changing projects while providing a public dividend, with private investors contributing on a pari passu basis and retail components enabling broad public participation.
- Specific strategies to de-risk investment in critical minerals include partnering with First Nation communities and utilizing an Indigenous Loan Guarantee program to provide sovereign loan guarantees, while the nation also leverages its unique Large Language Model ecosystem and dual-use assets in defense and nuclear power.
- Fiscal capacity is being directed toward housing, infrastructure, productivity, innovation, and defense to foster a growth economy resilient to geopolitical changes, with a focus on securing long-term off-take agreements for resources like LNG with allies in Europe and Asia.
- Canada's governance model for its funds is described as the gold standard, similar to the "Maple 8" pension funds, and the nation aims to strengthen economic security by diversifying partnerships, including inviting more partners to European finance ministers' meetings and expanding its role as the first export market for two-thirds of US states.