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Perspective:
Perspective
12 Oct 2026
6 minute read

Canadian CFO Signals™: Quarterly CFO survey

Get a read on the signals shaping Canada’s CFO agenda

Canadian CFO Signals™ takes a quarterly pulse of Canada’s leading CFOs. Explore what’s shaping their thinking, where their attention is shifting, and how they’re responding to the pressures and opportunities ahead.

Dawn Desjardins

Key findings

  • Inflation and broader economic conditions remain among the top external risks for Canadian CFOs. 

  • Talent continues to be the biggest internal concern, with efficiency and productivity close behind. Strategy execution, technology deployment, and cost management also remain high on the list. 

  • Risk appetite improved slightly following the significant increase seen in Q2. However, Canadian CFOs remain somewhat more cautious than their North American peers. 

  • Finance leaders are becoming more involved in AI investment decisions, helping shape how initiatives are evaluated and how value is measured. 

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Q3 2026 Canadian CFO Signals™

Canadian firms taking balance approach amid heightened uncertainty

This quarter, Canadian CFOs are taking a measured approach, weighing ongoing uncertainty against plans for investment, workforce growth, and a greater role in AI decision-making.

Canadian CFOs balance caution with continued investment plans

Talent and productivity remain the leading internal priorities

Finance leaders are playing a greater role in AI investment decisions

CFO Signals™ offers a view into how finance leaders see current business conditions, what they expect ahead, and how that outlook is shaping decisions around risk and investment. By tracking shifts in sentiment over time, organizations can better understand what’s influencing CFO decisions and put their own choices in a broader context. 

Finance leaders are balancing a wide range of priorities. CFO Signals™ shows where Canadian and North American CFOs are focusing their attention, from talent and productivity to technology, investment, and organizational performance.

Each quarter, CFO Signals™ looks at the issues influencing the role of today's finance leaders, including artificial intelligence, workforce challenges, economic conditions, and other trends affecting business planning and performance. 

Looking for more insight?

Dive deeper into the trends shaping the CFO agenda and explore what they could mean for your business. 

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Library

View the collection of CFO Signals available below, and check back as new editions are routinely added

 CFO SignalsTM Q4 2025

This publication contains general information only and should not be used as a basis for any decision or action that may affect you or your business. Deloitte shall not be responsible for any loss sustained by any person who relies on this publication.  

Copyright © 2026 Deloitte LLP and related entities. All rights reserved. 

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Meet the leaders

Dawn Desjardins

Dawn Desjardins

Chief Economist | Executive Advisor

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