Domestic investment: Should Canadian pension funds focus on local companies?

Canada’s biggest pension funds are some of the world’s largest investors and their diversified portfolios span the globe. But, should they be investing more in Canadian companies? Some CEOs think so. In March, 90 CEOs signed an open letter to Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland urging her to find ways to get pension funds to invest more in Canadian companies. But forcing pension funds to do so would be a mistake, says CD Howe Institute Senior Fellow Miville Tremblay in an op-ed in LaPresse. Tremblay cites research by Desautels’ Associate Professor Sebastien Betermier in his argument that pension funds in Canada aren’t the only ones who have diversified internationally over the past decade. A similar phenomenon can be observed in US and UK funds. Respecting the autonomy of fund managers is key, Tremblay argues. They have an important role to play in allocating funds to accelerate the transition to a green economy.