Here's why Saudi Arabia investment freeze doesn't amount to much in Canada

The decision by Saudi Arabia to halt new investments and unload assets in Canada is likely to have limited impact, even as the kingdom’s foreign minister threatens further action.

Saudi assets in Canada are confined mainly to stakes in upscale hotel operators, some small stock holdings in companies like Canadian National Railway Co., and grain facilities.

Most investments have been made by Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal through his Kingdom Holding Co., a Riyadh-based conglomerate with investments in hotels, real estate and equities. The company’s international hotel unit joined Bill Gates’s Cascade Investment and Canadian Isadore Sharp in a