Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Feb 15, 2026The Canadian government’s long-awaited defence industrial strategy formally landed on Tuesday and arrives in the shadow of a push by the Trump administration to further make the United States the arms-maker of choice among allies.
The new strategy has been in the works for more than a year and promises to use defence investment to leverage the Canadian economy and jobs.
It sets out a series of important, high benchmarks for the country to achieve over the next decade, including buying and maintaining most of the military’s equipment domestically.
“Defending Canada means more than the size of our military,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said during the formal unveiling of the strategy in Montreal on Tuesday.
“It also means the strength of our industries, the resilience of our economy and our capacity to act independently when it matters most. Our national security and our economic security go hand in hand.”