Investing in Canada’s defence industrial base

The Business Council of Canada (BCC) welcomes the Government of Canada’s new Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS). The DIS is an important step towards strengthening Canada’s security and economic resilience amid rising geopolitical uncertainty. 

Many elements of the DIS reflect recommendations from the BCC’s 2024 report, Security and Prosperity, particularly the focus on strengthening dual-use industrial capacity, innovation and export promotion, and closer government–industry collaboration. 

Investing in Canada’s defence industrial base supports secure, high-paying jobs across the country, reinforces the nation’s role in developing critical technologies and supply chains and helps the government uphold its commitments to allies around the world. 

With the strategy now released, the priority must be execution. As the BCC noted in its report, “Deep and sustained partnerships with Canadian businesses, from the strategic to the tactical level, will be required to achieve success.” The BCC looks forward to working with the Government of Canada to ensure the DIS’s ambition translates into lasting security and prosperity for all Canadians.