The announcement follows an earlier trade mission to Australia that included several of Canada’s largest pension funds, in a bid to strengthen pension investments between the nations. By participating in a united front with government officials, institutional investors are able to push for key risk mitigants they may not be able to achieve on their own. While some markets may raise questions about risks related to environmental, social and governance policies, Betermier notes Canada’s institutional investors have well defined ESG policies that are based on specific targets. “Australia invests invest a lot abroad, but not so much in Canada, so there are opportunities [to attract investment]. Saudi Arabia is much more of an open territory — Canadian pension funds haven’t had huge investments there, but neither has Saudi Arabia invested in Canada.”