To defend our sovereignty and strengthen our prosperity, we must transform how Canada invests in defence. For too long, procurement has been slow, overly complex, and too dependent on foreign suppliers — limiting opportunities for Canadian workers and businesses and leaving our military without the modern equipment it needs. Buying equipment abroad sends Canadian dollars out of the country, while purchasing from Canadian companies keeps that money at home creating a multiplier effect that supports good jobs, fuels investment, and strengthens our domestic industries.
That is why this week, Prime Minister Mark Carney launched Canada’s first-ever Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS). This historic plan, will prioritize Canadian suppliers and materials, accelerate innovation, and streamline procurement. It will help Canada’s aerospace, cyber, and advanced manufacturing sectors scale up and compete globally, creating thousands of high-quality careers.
The DIS positions Canadian industry to benefit from $180 billion in procurement opportunities and $290 billion in defence-related capital investments over the next decade. It will create 125,000 high-paying jobs, increase defence exports by 50%, ensure 70% of defence acquisitions go to Canadian firms. In total, it represents more than half a trillion dollars invested in Canada’s security, prosperity, sovereignty and significantly improve fleet readiness across all military branches.
Central to this work is the new Defence Investment Agency, which will cut red tape, speed up delivery, support Canadian businesses — including small and medium-sized firms — and open new markets abroad. It will equip the CAF with what it needs, when it needs it, and will prioritise manufacturing and strategic partnerships with Canadian firms
Canada’s DIS is a jobs strategy, a security strategy, and an economic strategy. Our government is taking bold action, and I am proud to support this vision — one that strengthens our sovereignty, grows our economy, and equips the CAF with world-class equipment to protect Canadians and our Allies.