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Source: Getty Images <\/p>\n Source: Getty Images <\/p>\n
Written by Amy Legate-Wolfe<\/a> at The Motley Fool Canada<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s 2026 nation-building push looks a lot more concrete than abstract this year. Ottawa is talking less about broad ambitions and more about roads, rail, ports, transit, water systems, housing-enabling infrastructure, and Arctic defence projects.<\/p>\n The federal government\u2019s 2026\u201327 departmental plan points to investments in critical infrastructure to support housing and growth, while the high-speed rail project between Toronto and Qu\u00e9bec City remains one of the biggest transportation bets Canada has seen in decades. Add in new Arctic radar spending and northern infrastructure funds, and you get a clear theme: Canada wants to build, connect, and secure at the same time. So, how do investors get on board?<\/p>\n AtkinsR\u00e9alis (TSX:ATRL<\/a>) sits right where big national projects begin: engineering, nuclear, and transportation design. Over the last year, it landed major work tied directly to Canada\u2019s buildout, including the East Harbour Transit Hub in Toronto and its role in the consortium advancing the country\u2019s high-speed rail project. It also deepened its nuclear footprint through the Pickering life-extension work, which matters in a country that needs more reliable power.<\/p>\n The numbers back that up. AtkinsR\u00e9alis reported 2025 services revenue of $10.8 billion, up 16.1%, while backlog hit a record $21.2 billion. Nuclear revenue jumped 54.6% for the year, showing where a lot of the momentum sits. In the fourth quarter alone, services revenue reached $2.9 billion, and adjusted net income from its core services business came to $3.36 per share for 2025. For investors who want exposure to transit, nuclear refurbishment, and big public works, it still looks built for the moment.<\/p>\n Stantec (TSX:STN<\/a>) is less about flashy mega-project headlines and more about the nuts and bolts that make communities function. This is a design and engineering firm with exposure to water, transportation, buildings, environmental services, and energy. That mix aligns well with a country trying to add housing, modernize utilities, and strengthen northern and defence infrastructure. Recent wins keep that case alive, including design work for Canada\u2019s Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar project and a place on Department of National Defence facility upgrades.<\/p>\n Its latest results were strong enough to make the story feel real, not theoretical<\/a>. Stantec reported 2025 net revenue of $6.5 billion, up 10.7%, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $1.1 billion, adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $5.30, and a backlog of $8.6 billion, up 9.5%. Management also guided for 2026 adjusted EBITDA margin of 17.6% to 18.2%, which suggests it still sees healthy demand ahead. The business keeps compounding as well, winning long-duration work like the multibillion-pound Scottish Water program.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s Canadian Pacific Kansas City (TSX:CP<\/a>). Nation-building is not just about pouring concrete. It\u2019s also about moving grain, autos, energy products, industrial inputs, and consumer goods across a giant country and into export markets. CPKC stock gives investors exposure to that backbone. Its single-line rail network across Canada, the United States, and Mexico makes it a strong pick for a period when Canada wants better trade corridors, more domestic investment, and more industrial development near transport hubs. The company\u2019s new Site Ready locations across North America only add to that theme.<\/p>\n Financially, CPKC stock<\/a> keeps doing what a top rail operator should do: grind out steady growth and improve efficiency. In 2025, revenue rose 4% to $15.1 billion, reported diluted EPS climbed to $4.51, and core adjusted diluted EPS reached $4.61. Its core adjusted operating ratio improved to a record 59.9%, and management is looking for low double-digit core adjusted EPS growth in 2026. Bottom line here is that railways control irreplaceable networks.<\/p>\n If Canada\u2019s 2026 story really is about building more, connecting more, and securing more, these three stocks look well placed. AtkinsR\u00e9alis brings the engineering and nuclear muscle, Stantec brings the community and infrastructure know-how, and CPKC stock brings the transport network that helps everything else work. All three make a solid case for investors who want to own the companies helping Canada get the job done.<\/p>\n The post 3 TSX Stocks Set to Drive Canada\u2019s 2026 Nation-Building Efforts<\/a> appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n Before you buy stock in SNC-Lavalin Group, consider this:<\/p>\n The Motley Fool Canada team has identified what they believe are the top 10 TSX stocks for 2026\u2026 and SNC-Lavalin Group wasn\u2019t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could potentially produce monster returns in the coming years.<\/p>\n Consider MercadoLibre, which we first recommended on January 8, 2014 \u2026 if you invested $1,000 in the \u201ceBay of Latin America\u201d at the time of our recommendation, you\u2019d have over $18,000!*<\/p>\n Now, it\u2019s worth noting Stock Advisor Canada\u2019s total average return is 94%* \u2013 a market-crushing outperformance compared to 85%* for the S&P\/TSX Composite Index. Don\u2019t miss out on our top 10 stocks, available when you join our mailing list!<\/p>\n Get the 10 stocks instantly<\/a><\/p>\n * Returns as of April 20th, 2026<\/p>\n More reading<\/p>\n Fool contributor Amy Legate-Wolfe<\/a> has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Canadian Pacific Kansas City and Stantec. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Source: Getty Images Written by Amy Legate-Wolfe at The Motley Fool Canada Canada\u2019s 2026 nation-building push looks a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,4925,2292,6930,6931],"class_list":{"0":"post-12612","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-canada","8":"tag-canada","9":"tag-critical-infrastructure","10":"tag-fool-canada","11":"tag-nation-building","12":"tag-transportation-design"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}