💪It’s Time for Canada to Leverage Its Own Investment Power

Canada’s $2.5 Trillion Question: Why Aren’t We Investing in Ourselves?

For 15 years, I’ve been asking the same question:

👉 Why don’t Canada’s pension funds (except CDPQ) have a mandate to invest in our own economic strength?

And for 15 years, I’ve gotten the same answer:
❌ “It’s not in the mandate.”

To which my response has always been:
Well, why not change the mandate?

Meanwhile, our largest trading partner—the U.S.—is doubling down on economic nationalism while we keep funneling billions into foreign infrastructure, private equity, and real estate instead of backing Canadian industries, innovation, and independence.

📊 Some facts to consider:
💰 Canadian pension funds manage $2.5 trillion—more than our entire GDP.
🏗️ We build highways in Texas, but not in Ontario.
🏢 We fund private equity in Europe, but underinvest in our own manufacturing sector.
⚡ The U.S. is our biggest investor—but also our biggest competitor.

If CDPQ can prioritize Québec’s economy and still deliver strong returns, why can’t other pension funds do the same for Canada?

I recently applied for the Chief Investment Officer role at OPB because I believe we need to move the needle on this. Economic resilience isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity.

The real question is: Do we have the political will to act?

Let’s discuss. 🚀

#Canada #Economy #Investment #PublicPolicy #PensionFunds #EconomicResilience

Peggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.

#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare