This week in Canadian business news, Great-West Lifeco will kick off the major insurers' Q2 earnings on Tuesday, Statistics Canada is scheduled to release its Labour Force Survey for July and BCE Inc. and Magna International Inc. are among the companies holding their Q2 conference calls.

Canadian companies trying to drum up venture capital during the COVID-19 pandemic raised billions more in the first half of this year than they did in previous years.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. is urging Kansas City Southern shareholders to vote against the proposed merger with Canadian National Railway Co. because of the regulatory uncertainty of its rival's US$33.6-billion bid.