The CDPQ plays a central role in financing Québec businesses, providing capital to support their growth, innovation and competitiveness. It invests in a variety of sectors, including real estate, infrastructure, private equity and clean technologies. For example, in 2025, the CDPQ launched a program to encourage Quebec companies to increase their productivity and explore new markets, in response to international tariff threats. The program is built around three pillars: providing flexible financing, offering expertise in technological transformation, and facilitating access to a vast network of partners worldwide.
Historically, the CDPQ has been involved in strategic acquisitions to repatriate control of major companies to Quebec. Under the leadership of Jean Campeau in the 1980s, the CDPQ acquired significant stakes in companies such as Gaz Métropolitain, Noranda and Domtar, thereby strengthening Quebec's economic fabric.
CDPQ is also committed to sustainable investment. It directs its capital towards a greener, fairer transition, contributing to a more sustainable world while generating growth. By 2023, it had $53 billion in low-carbon assets and ensured that 57% of actively managed public companies had at least 30% women on their boards.
During the financial crisis of 2007, CDPQ was one of the main investors affected by the debacle in non-bank asset-backed commercial paper (ABCP). Thanks to the Montreal Accord and the involvement of its then President, Henri-Paul Rousseau, a major restructuring was implemented to convert these securities into long-term bonds, thereby avoiding massive losses for investors and stabilizing the Canadian financial market.
