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Canada’s $1-Trillion Investment Ambition Will Require Women’s Full Economic Participation
Business, investment and public policy leaders call for women’s economic participation to be treated as a core part of Canada’s growth strategy
TORONTO, September 11, 2026–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A group of 23 prominent Canadian business, investment, entrepreneurship and public policy leaders convened by The Power Shift are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to make women’s economic participation a core part of Canada’s investment strategy, just days before global investors gather in Toronto for the first Canada Investment Summit.
In an open letter released today, the leaders argue that realizing Canada’s ambition to catalyze $1 trillion in investment over the next five years will require the country to make full use of its economic capacity, including the talent, capital, entrepreneurship and leadership of women. Women remain significantly underrepresented in many of the industries, businesses and institutions that will determine how that capital is deployed and where economic growth occurs.
The letter urges the federal government to make women’s economic participation a core part of Canada’s investment agenda as the country prepares to make major investments in infrastructure, technology, defence, natural resources and other strategic sectors.
Its central argument is economic: Canada is simultaneously trying to build at greater scale, compete globally and attract unprecedented levels of investment. Doing that successfully will require more capital, more entrepreneurs, more skilled workers and people capable of building and leading Canadian companies. Women represent a significant
The letter argues that these gaps have consequences far beyond representation.
“Canada is being asked to build more, move faster and compete in increasingly volatile conditions while facing persistent labour and skills shortages. Maximizing the return on these investments requires us to draw on the full range of talent, expertise, entrepreneurship and leadership available to us.”
The signatories bring decades of experience building companies, deploying capital, leading institutions, creating jobs and shaping public policy across Canada. They are calling on the federal government to use the next year to establish and begin implementing a clear economic agenda for increasing women’s participation and leadership in the sectors receiving Canada’s largest public and private investments, with measurable objectives and public reporting on progress.
