Carignan says Canada must shift 70 per cent of defence spending — Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Ii
Gen. Jennie Carignan said Canada must build up domestic military production as the country moves to reduce its dependence on U.S. suppliers for lockheed martin f-35 lightning ii and other equipment. She told a Montreal audience this week that supply chain disruptions and larger state-on-state conflicts are changing what the Canadian Forces must be ready to buy and build.
Carignan also said the federal government’s new defence industrial strategy would move 70 per cent of defence spending to Canada-based firms and aims to create more than half a trillion dollars in investments in the next decade. Her remarks came as Ottawa is also creating a Defence Investment Agency to speed military procurement.
Carignan in Montreal
Speaking at an event organized by the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, Carignan said Canada had mainly been sending its armed forces overseas for targeted campaigns since the end of the Cold War. She said Canada invested very little in defence at home and in the Arctic, while its main challenge remains a vast territory that is difficult to patrol and surveil.
“We were exporters of security,” Carignan said in the talk. She said Canada’s territory is primarily at risk from long-range ballistic missiles and hypersonic cruise missiles, and that the country needs to ramp up its ability to produce military equipment and supplies domestically.
Ottawa’s defence plans
The government’s industrial strategy is meant to shift Canada’s dependence on U.S. suppliers. Officials also announced last week that a proposed international defence bank to help NATO countries grow their militaries will be set up in Canada, with Montreal one possible location.
That push sits alongside a separate plan under study to increase the number of part-time soldiers from 28,000 to 400,000. The plan is intended to assure the defence of Canada against domestic threats ranging from natural disaster response to large-scale combat operations.
Hogan and the reserves
Auditor General Karen Hogan said in an October report that the Canadian Forces is not recruiting enough individuals to meet its operational needs. Her report also said the military is having trouble training enough highly skilled recruits for occupations such as pilots and ammunition technicians, and is struggling to train new recruits.
Internal documents obtained by the CBC showed the military was concerned about its ability to clothe, arm and equip a force of more than 400,000 members. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the government will continue to grow the military and its reserves over the coming years, and said he is confident in their abilities.
The immediate test is whether Ottawa can turn the strategy into working factories, faster procurement and a larger force at the same time. Carignan’s warning points to a force that may be asked to do more at home while still facing shortages in people, equipment and training capacity.
