Unpacking Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy

On today’s episode of the Expert Series, we examine Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy and how it aims to reshape military readiness, domestic industrial capacity, and Canada’s position in a rapidly shifting geopolitical environment. Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Mark Norman, Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) Andrew Leslie, and the Honourable Peter MacKay assess the strategy’s ambition, its proposed “Build–Partner–Buy” framework, and the creation of a new Defence Investment Agency. They discuss long-standing procurement challenges, persistent capability gaps within the Canadian Armed Forces, and the realism of directing 70% of defence contracts to Canadian firms while remaining closely integrated with the United States and NATO supply chains. This episode offers a candid evaluation of the opportunities and risks embedded in the strategy, underscoring the importance of effective implementation, economic resilience, and timely investment to ensure Canada can meet both its operational commitments and broader national security objectives. The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.Learn more: CDA Institute