Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is using a two-day Toronto investment summit to court more than 100 global investors overseeing over C$100tn ($72tn; £53tn) in assets, as Canada seeks to reduce its economic dependence on the United States. The gathering includes sovereign wealth funds (state-owned investment pools) from countries including the United Arab Emirates and Norway, along with executives such as BlackRock's Larry Fink and Blackstone president Jon Gray. Carney plans to promote Canada's energy and resource sectors, political stability and potential projects in AI, defence, transportation and infrastructure. The effort follows the collapse of trade talks, retaliatory tariffs and Donald Trump's comments about making Canada a 51st state, which have strained a relationship built on more than a century of economic and military cooperation. Investors may remain cautious because of Canada's lengthy project-approval process and the ability of provinces and Indigenous communities to delay or block major resource developments. A Canada Pension Plan Investment Board report said the scale and depth of investible opportunities were the country's greatest weakness, while speakers stressed that Canada must secure a stable future trading relationship with the US. Trade exports to the US equal 20% of Canada's GDP, making the dispute a significant constraint on attracting long-term investment. Carney is also seeking greater investment from Canada's large pension funds, which currently invest more overseas. The summit is part of a broader plan to build a more independent and resilient Canadian economy, although the rapid deterioration in US ties could outpace the time needed to establish new trade partnerships, creating what one professor called a valley of death economically and potentially politically.