1 Canadian Stock Ready to Start 2026 With a Bang

If you’re looking for a Canadian stock that combines reliability, scale, and serious long-term growth potential, Brookfield Corporation (TSX:BN) stands out heading into 2026. Brookfield has been one of the best stocks that investors can buy and hold long-term for years now.

It’s a stock that has a long track record of compounding capital by investing in high-quality real assets across infrastructure, renewable power, real estate, and private credit. That’s crucial because these are defensive businesses that generate predictable cash flows and tend to perform well across economic cycles, especially in environments with inflation and falling interest rates.

At the same time, Brookfield isn’t just a defensive play with limited upside. It’s also constantly looking for new opportunities and, in recent years, has been positioning itself at the centre of some of the fastest-growing global trends today, including artificial intelligence, data infrastructure, and digitalization.

That combination of reliability and downside protection mixed with Brookfield’s attractive long-term growth potential is exactly why it’s one of the best long-term stocks you can own. However, as reliable as it is as a long-term holding, it also has a tonne of prospects for growth in the near term.

Why Brookfield looks like one of the most compelling Canadian stocks in 2026

One of Brookfield’s biggest strengths is the sheer scale and diversity of its businesses. The company operates across asset management, insurance solutions, and operating businesses, giving it multiple avenues for growth while reducing reliance on any single market or asset class.

For example, Brookfield’s asset management business continues to raise record levels of capital and deploy it into high-demand, defensive assets all over the world. Therefore, that asset-light, fee-generating model provides Brookfield with a growing and highly scalable earnings stream.

However, in addition to that, because Brookfield owns reliable and defensive assets that in many cases are backed by long-term contracts and inflation-linked cash flows, the company has a tonne of resiliency, especially during periods of volatility, while still allowing it to reinvest capital into higher-growth opportunities as they emerge.

Brookfield is quietly one of the best stocks to buy for the AI boom

Although Brookfield is best known for the combination of its asset management business and reliable defensive assets, where the stock really starts to become attractive is the exposure it offers to AI and digital infrastructure.

Unlike most stocks in the AI space that are extremely risky, Brookfield offers investors exposure to the sector through a disciplined, long-term approach that aims to support the industry’s growth.

For example, Brookfield has launched a dedicated artificial intelligence infrastructure strategy focused on building the physical backbone of AI.

This includes data centres, dedicated power solutions, and large-scale compute infrastructure designed for hyperscalers, governments, and global enterprises.

That’s why it’s so compelling for long-term investors. Its approach is built around long-term, highly contracted assets with strong counterparties, leveraging its existing strengths in power generation, infrastructure, land, and large-scale development.

In other words, it’s applying its proven repeatable playbook to one of the most powerful global growth trends we’ve seen in decades.

So, as global spending on AI, data centres, and digital infrastructure continues to accelerate, Brookfield is uniquely positioned to benefit while still protecting the downside.

An attractive mix of reliability and growth

Brookfield is by no means a flashy stock, but that’s exactly why it’s one of the best Canadian stocks investors can buy, both for the long haul and in 2026.

It’s reliable because it offers steady cash flows and disciplined capital allocation, and it’s compelling from a growth standpoint due to its exposure to renewable energy, AI infrastructure, and global digitalization.

So, if you’re looking for a high-quality Canadian stock to buy and hold for the long haul, Brookfield is a stock you’ll want to buy soon, while you can still gain exposure at a reasonable valuation.

The post 1 Canadian Stock Ready to Start 2026 With a Bang appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

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* Returns as of January 15th, 2026

More reading

• Canada’s Smart Money is Piling Into This TSX Leader
• The Only 2 Canadian Stocks Investors Will Ever Need
• Why I’m Letting This Unstoppable Stock Ride for Decades
• The Ideal Canadian Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever in a TFSA
• Outlook for Brookfield Stock in 2026

Fool contributor Daniel Da Costa has positions in Brookfield. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Brookfield. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Corporation. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.