Michael Sabia, CEO of La Caisse, takes part in a discussion at the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance annual public meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Chris Helgren

MONTREAL (Reuters) - The head of Canada’s second-largest pension fund said on Friday that rising protectionism in the United States would likely lead to more Canadian companies trying to buy U.S. platforms.

“If there is more protectionism in the United States you will probably see more Canadian companies trying to acquire U.S. -based platforms,” Michael Sabia, chief executive of the Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, told reporters.

“We’re in a period of very heightened uncertainty.”