Canada Accelerates Defence Industrial Strategy with Industry Leaders

Canada's Minister of National Defence, David J. McGuinty, recently brought together industry and investment leaders to accelerate the country's Defence Industrial Strategy.

The strategy aims to rebuild and rearm Canada's national defence by prioritizing Canadian suppliers and materials, investing in innovation and commercialization, and streamlining procurement to provide consistent and predictable demand for businesses.

Minister McGuinty highlighted significant progress made under the strategy, including a $6 billion Defence Platform from the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) that has supported 130 Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises, doubling its loans and investments in six months.

The Minister also discussed how early investments are helping Canadian companies grow, innovate, and compete globally, with Export Development Canada (EDC) providing approximately $2 billion in financing and insurance-related support to defence and security companies since expanding its support for the sector in 2025.