A great snapshot from PwC Canada's M&A year in review and 2023 outlook which shows that 54% of Canadian corporate leaders are not planning to delay deals in 2023.

• Within the private company space, deals in energy, utilities, mining and industrials have been a consistent favorite, taking the top spot in 2022 and 2021 in terms of deal value with tech, media and telecommunications slipping behind.
  

• While the energy, utilities and mining sectors saw deal volumes and values declining in 2022, deal activity remains robust in certain subsectors, including critical and battery minerals and renewable energy.
  

• Given the resilience of most financial services businesses, we expect continued M&A activity from the larger financial institutions.

While economic and geopolitical uncertainties have created headwinds, they're also generating opportunities for the Canadian mergers and acquisitions market. According to PwC Canada's M&A year in review and 2023 outlook, last year's activities continued to be in line with historical norms. However, this year, a reset in valuations, the availability of capital and increased competitiveness from corporates should help create openings for dealmakers.

PwCs 26th Annual Global CEO Survey illustrates that while 76% of Canadian corporate leaders are pessimistic about global economic growth, 54% aren't planning to delay deals in 2023 to mitigate potential economic challenges and volatility. The survey results further show that a significant number of both global CEOs (39%) and Canadian respondents (25%) believe that their company will no longer be economically viable a decade from now, if they continue on their current path.

Strategic M&A as the fastest way forward…