The investor-led initiative Climate Engagement Canada (CEC) has greeted two new members – Montreal-headquartered asset manager Fiera Capital and Nordic-based Nordea Asset Management (AM). Fiera Capital has approximately C$164.2 billion (US$118.75 billion) in assets under managements (AUM) as of 30 June 2023. Nordea AM is CEC’s inaugural international member and is one of the largest asset managers in the Nordics with a global presence in Europe, the Americas and Asia, with €241 billion (US$257 billion) in AUM. The CEC’s development was inspired by Canada’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance, which in 2019 made a series of recommendations to align Canada’s financial system with a low carbon future. One of the Expert Panel’s recommendations was to establish a national engagement programme to drive a broader and more consistent dialogue with Canadian issuers around climate risks and opportunities. The CEC is that national engagement programme. The CEC is led by several investor networks including the Responsible Investment Association (RIA), Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE) and Ceres. The UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) is also supporting the programme, and the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance provided governance advice during the development phase. The CEC initiative has leveraged strategic leadership from Barbara Zvan, who was one of the members of the Expert Panel of Sustainable Finance. The RIA and SHARE serve as the joint secretariat for CEC.
