Words At Large

Anna Maria Tremonti talks with Diane Francis about her new book, Who Owns Canada Now.

Canada has a growing number of billionaires and most of them are men. Their holdings and companies may be household names but they aren't publicly visible.

Diane Francis, an editor with the National Post and author of eight books, looks at who controls the purse strings in her new book, Who Owns Canada Now: Old Money, New Money and The Future of Canadian Business. She examines changes in the last two decades, and predicts future trends.

In 1986, Francis searched out Canada's wealthy decision-makers and found a few dozen rich families and corporations dominated the financial scene. Twenty-two years later, the mix is very different, with hundreds of wealthy families, influential pension and mutual funds and millions of Canadian investors.

For Who Owns Canada Now, she interviewed some of Canada’s richest and most powerful people, many of whom had never spoken to the media before.

The Current's host Anna Maria Tremonti spoke with Diane Francis.

Listen to their conversation here.

Read Diane Francis' blog.