Last week I was at the Foo Fighters concert in Edmonton. Dave joked that the 44,000 fans in the stadium singing along were split between the ancient OG fans like me and the new generation, like my teenage niece.
True.
Before that, I was in Toronto, where money was the conversation.
Between the Canada Investment Summit & investor conferences/dinners around town, there was a noticeable theme: people are looking at Canada differently, and now we have some numbers and announcements to go with it.
So this week, I’m less interested in how much money was in the room and more interested in what happens after everyone goes home. Does the money actually move, do projects get built, and are we creating more places for Canadian businesses, energy and resources to go?
Here are two things you might hear people talking about this week, and a couple of questions you can use to get into the conversation.
WHAT HAD MY ATTENTION
Nearly $500 Billion, Now What?
Canada’s first Investment Summit wrapped up with nearly $500 billion in new investment and financing commitments, that is a very big number.
But one of the announcements I’m more interested in is much less flashy: Canada changed the tax math for companies deciding whether to invest here. The new Productivity Mega Deduction lets businesses immediately write off a much wider range of investments, including pipelines, mining property, rail, manufacturing equipment, fibre and technology.
In simple terms: investing in Canada just got cheaper.
MY SMART ENOUGH QUESTION:
If you were deciding where to invest, does Canada look meaningfully different today than it did a month ago?
Ask someone who runs a business, works in finance or actually makes decisions about where companies spend money. I'm curious what they tell you.
THE SMART ENOUGH TAKE:
Getting some of the biggest investors in the world into a room in Canada matters, giving them a better reason to invest after they leave might matter even more. I like the direction but I’m keeping the same test I had last week:
Six months from now, what actually got built?
WORTH YOUR TIME:
The Canada Investment Summit announcements
If you want to see where that near $500 billion number comes from (and what Canada changed to try to attract more investment), this is worth a read.
CHECK OUT THE NEWS RELEASE HERE
Canada + Europe: More Than A Trade Deal?
Canada and Europe spent last week talking about something considerably bigger than the trade agreement we already have. European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, opened the door to Canada becoming the EU’s first “associate member.”
Canada isn’t joining the EU. And exactly what “associate member” would mean still has to be worked out, but the areas they’re talking about are interesting: energy, critical minerals, defence, AI, technology, finance.
Last week I wrote about Venezuela and the danger of assuming our biggest customer will always need what we sell, then Canada went to Europe looking for more options.
I noticed.
MY SMART ENOUGH QUESTION:
What does Canada have that Europe actually needs? Energy, critical minerals, uranium, food, technology, defence capabilities?
Then flip it around: What do they have that we need?
Trade conversations are always a two way street, so let’s figure out how nations can benefit from trade with one another.
THE SMART ENOUGH TAKE:
Diversification doesn’t mean replacing the United States. As they are an enormously important customer, making sure they aren’t our only option is vital. More customers. more partners. more leverage.
WORTH YOUR TIME:
Carney’s European Parliament speech
You definitely don’t need to read every political speech that crosses your feed.
This one is worth skimming.
The interesting part is how specific the proposed relationship gets: Energy, critical minerals, and opportunities for more Canadians & Europeans to live, work and study on either side of the Atlantic.
CHECK OUT CARNEY’S SPEECH HERE
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Is Canada Becoming An AI Powerhouse? Literally!
One announcement from last week’s Investment Summit deserves more attention.
Bell announced plans to dramatically expand its AI data centre project in Saskatchewan, creating a path to a 1.2-gigawatt AI hub near Regina. The computing equipment and new power generation capabilities associated with this data centre represents more than $50 billion in investment, the largest in Saskatchewan’s history.
And Saskatchewan isn’t the only one getting a massive AI investments.
Meta is planning a $13-billion data centre in Alberta. Capital Power says it’s already talking to other major data-centre developers looking at the province, so here’s what I’m watching:
Could electricity become one of Canada’s next great competitive advantages?
AI needs enormous amounts of reliable power. from natural gas to nuclear energy, Canada has an array of options to power these projects.
What does all that new electricity demand mean for our grids? For electricity costs? For water? And where exactly does all that new power come from? I don’t know all those answers yet, which is exactly why I’m watching.
If the AI race is partly a race for electricity, Canada has some very interesting cards to play.
SMART ENOUGH IN 60 SECONDS
Potash Is Having A Moment
President Trump says the U.S. is looking to Belarus for cheaper potash. But almost 80% of U.S. potash imports currently come from Canada.
So the question isn’t only who can sell it cheaper.
It’s who can deliver it reliably.
Watch: Potash in 60 Seconds →
ONE LYNNIE THOUGHT
GET IN THE CONVERSATION
I spend a ridiculous amount of time in rooms where someone knows far more than I do about something, I love it.
I don’t need to be the expert in the room, I need to figure out who is. Listen carefully. Ask a decent question. And leave knowing something I didn’t know when I walked in, That’s really what I want Smart Enough to help you do, not just understand the news.
Get in the conversation by asking someone who knows more than you or sees it differently than you do. Ask the question you think might be dumb. Then listen and decide what makes sense to you. What did you learn? What surprised you? Send it to me. Maybe that’s what I break down next.
You don’t have to be an expert. Just Smart Enough.
Know of someone who wants to understand what Canada is talking about without reading 17 articles first? Forward this to them, They can join us here!
See you next Week!
Lynn