Quebec Premier Pushes C$496 Billion Pension to Invest at Home

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(Bloomberg) — Quebec Premier Francois Legault said he wants the province’s pension fund to invest more locally, including making bets in the manufacturing sector, as Canada adjusts to a new reality of US trade barriers. 

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The Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec, Canada’s second-largest pension manager, is planning to have C$100 billion ($71.3 billion) of its funds invested in the French-speaking province by next year — about 20% of its current net assets and a similar proportion to the previous year. But it’s not enough for Legault, who has been running the province since 2018. 

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A new “ambition target” will be set for 2030, according to a document entitled “Quebec Power: Answer to a New World Context” that describes his economic vision.

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“The Caisse de depot is doing more than it did seven years ago, but they need to do even more,” Legault said during a presentation Monday, adding that the government is discussing the issue with the institution’s management. 

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In an interview with Montreal-based news outlet La Presse, he went further, saying La Caisse must take “calculated risks” in sectors such as manufacturing and critical minerals.

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La Caisse, which had C$496 billion under management as of June, has a dual mandate to produce returns and contribute to Quebec’s economic development, but the law establishing it states that it must act independently.

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“We clearly have a competitive edge here — we know the market, we know our companies and we can deploy capital across the full spectrum of financing solutions,” a spokesperson for La Caisse said in an emailed statement. 

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“That said, investing the hard-earned money of Quebecers means we must keep responsibility front of mind. We need businesses to launch projects that benefit the economy and at the same time help protect and grow Quebecers’ retirement savings.”

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Legault’s nationalist party, the Coalition Avenir Quebec, has collapsed in public opinion polls about a year before a likely provincial election. The premier is now attempting a series of policy moves to try to boost the party’s popularity, including a controversial battle to make doctors more productive and now a broad vision for economic growth. 

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“The situation is critical,” he said. “Donald Trump’s policies pose a risk to the standard of living of future generations. But at the same time, there are opportunities.”

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