Franklin Templeton has tapped the expertise of its affiliates Brandywine Global, ClearBridge Investments and Martin Currie for the upcoming launch of five ETFs in Canada.

Duane Green, president and CEO, Franklin Templeton Canada.
The assortment of funds, which includes four equity ETFs and one fixed income ETF, are to be listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange in the coming weeks.
The five funds are effectively feeder ETFs that principally allocate to existing mutual funds managed by the various Franklin Templeton affiliates. These underlying mutual funds are all actively managed and incorporate sustainability considerations into their portfolio construction process.
Commenting on the launch, Duane Green, president and CEO, Franklin Templeton Canada said: “We aim to deliver investors specialized investment expertise from our boutique investment managers.
“We are focused on providing a world-class fund line-up, which showcases our vast investment capabilities across asset classes and proven sustainability expertise, to help individual and institutional investors achieve their desired investment outcomes.”
The funds
The sole fixed income ETF is the Franklin Brandywine Global Sustainable Income Optimiser Active ETF (FBGO CN) managed by Brandywine Global and priced with an expense ratio of 0.60%. Brandywine Global is a long-term conviction value manager with approximately US$62 billion in assets under management. It is headquartered in Philadelphia.
The fund will invest primarily in units of the Franklin Brandywine Global Income Optimiser Fund which in turn invests in fixed income securities globally that have been assessed by the portfolio manager as sustainable investments. The fund aims to deliver an attractive income yield and total return while guarding against downside risks.
Of the four equity ETFs, two are managed ClearBridge Investments, an active equity specialist with an emphasis on differentiated, bottom-up stock selection. ClearBridge is headquartered in New York and manages US$184 billion in assets.
These funds comprise the Franklin ClearBridge Sustainable Global Infrastructure Income Active ETF (FCII CN) and the Franklin ClearBridge Sustainable International Growth Active ETF (FCSI CN). Both will maintain expense ratios of 0.85%.
FCII invests primarily in the Franklin ClearBridge Sustainable Global Infrastructure Income Fund and/or equity securities of sustainable issuers supporting infrastructure assets.
FCSI seeks long-term capital appreciation through exposure to international equity securities by investing primarily in Franklin ClearBridge International Growth Fund and/or equity securities of sustainable issuers outside Canada and the US.
The final two equity ETFs are managed by Martin Currie, a global, fundamentals-driven high-conviction active equity specialist with credentials in active ownership and sustainable investing. Martin Currie is headquartered in Edinburgh and has approximately US$21 billion in assets under management.
These funds are the Franklin Martin Currie Sustainable Emerging Markets Active ETF (FSEM CN) and the Franklin Martin Currie Sustainable Global Equity Active ETF (FGSG CN). The expense ratio of these funds has not yet been published.
FSEM seeks long-term capital appreciation through exposure to equity securities by investing primarily in Franklin Martin Currie Sustainable Emerging Markets Fund and/or equity securities of sustainable issuers in emerging markets.
FGSG seeks long-term capital appreciation through exposure to global equity securities by investing primarily in Franklin Martin Currie Global Equity Fund and/or equity securities of sustainable issuers anywhere in the world.