Canada has emerged as the most attractive market for infrastructure investment according to a poll by the Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA) – the membership body for the world’s leading investors in the sector.
GIIA members represent of a combined almost $3 trillion CAD in infrastructure assets under management and are surveyed on a bi-annual basis to gauge sector attractiveness, challenges, and deal flow across the world’s biggest infrastructure markets.
Driven by a series of recent announcements by the Canadian government, the country has shot to the top of the rankings – surpassing European economic powerhouse Germany in second place, and southern neighbors the U.S. for the first time. As outlined by one large-scale GIIA investor member, Canada currently appears to be “having a moment” within the world of infrastructure and major national projects.
This comes amidst Prime Minister Mark Carney’s administration’s clear commitment to strengthening and expanding Canada’s core infrastructure. Policies include its ‘Nation Building’ program and the announcement of a new sovereign wealth fund, which will partly be used to co-fund infrastructure projects with private sector partners. The government has said it will initially commit $25 billion over three years – for context the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund has been able to grow an initial $1.5 billion investment into almost $32 billion since the 1970s. This is underpinned by the establishment of a new Major Projects Office to streamline permitting and speed up new projects deemed to be in the national interest.
Canada is also looking to attract foreign investors, with a stated aim of raising $1 trillion in new capital from external sources – kicked off with the first ever Canada Investment Summit later this fall.
Much of this capital would be generated by the prospect that Canada will privatize some of its major airports to make much needed improvements and modernize operations, benefitting passengers. Canadian pension funds are already invested in airports around the world, so this privatization plan also provides an attractive domestic source of returns for pension contributors.
Canada’s intention to become a nuclear-led energy superpower is also an attractive notion. By working with experienced infrastructure investors, Canada can manage costs, speed up deployment, and reinforce its global leadership in clean energy.
Jon Phillips, Chief Executive of GIIA, said:
“We work with Canadian infrastructure investors all over the world, and for decades they’ve been some of the most active in the sector. Looking back just two years ago to 2024, Canada made up only 3% of capital deployed by our members – it appears that is certainly about to change.
“Canada is making all the right noises when it comes to its intentions to attract private capital into building, maintaining, and improving the nation’s infrastructure – with ambitious goals for how and where it will raise this capital. Our latest survey of members has clearly shown that recent announcements are creating global interest. If the government can continue to send clear policy signals like reforming airport governance and nuclear innovation, they can convert this investor interest into real deals and capital flow.”
Assets
Survey methodology
The Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA) has run its Pulse Survey in collaboration with infrastructure advisors Alvarez & Marsal on a six-monthly basis since 2020 to understand the sentiment of investors towards the environment for fundraising, the outlook and prospects for markets and industry sectors, the impact of barriers to investment, and emerging investment trends.
Investor members of GIIA respond to an online survey that contains a series of closed-ended questions. Interviews are also conducted with selected respondents to secure additional qualitative, which further build a picture of the investor mood. This edition of the GIIA Pulse Survey was completed with 28 total survey responses – representing a combined infrastructure assets under management of $1 trillion. All individual responses and involvement remain anonymized for commercial reasons.
About the Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA)
GIIA unifies the strength of the world’s leading infrastructure investors and advisors into one powerful, global voice. Since launch in 2016, it has grown from 19 founding organisations to nearly 140 members, representing over $2.2 trillion of infrastructure assets under management across 68 countries.
GIIA helps governments and policymakers worldwide to create the policy and regulatory frameworks that lead to attractive investment environments, enabling the private sector to deploy capital and expertise to deliver infrastructure projects that meet public needs and expectations. Reducing obstacles to P3s and private ownership of infrastructure means governments’ plans for modernisation, operation and maintenance can more readily be achieved.