Yves Perron

“Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by paying tribute to the members of the Canadian Armed Forces and to all veterans. We have started wearing the poppy in remembrance. Let me now turn to Bill C-40. Our government is making major investments to help Quebec businesses enter and expand within Canadian and international defence supply chains. To be clear, these investments are not about military procurement alone. They are also about jobs, innovation, economic growth and ensuring that Quebec workers and businesses are at the forefront of one of the most important industrial opportunities of our generation. In April 2026, for example, a total of $4.5 million was allocated to Aéro Montréal, Propulsion Québec and Sous-traitance industrielle Québec, or STIQ, to support small and medium-sized businesses. This is excellent news for the Lower Laurentians region. These investments will help Quebec businesses integrate into Canadian and international defence supply chains, market new technologies and become more competitive at securing contracts both domestically and abroad. With this support, STIQ will help manufacturers meet the standards required to participate in defence projects. Aéro Montréal and Propulsion Québec will help businesses in the aerospace, electric mobility and smart transportation industries, which have a strong presence in the Lower Laurentians, to access new defence markets and win contracts with Canada, allied countries and major defence contractors. These investments are part of the broader regional defence investment initiative, which is providing $64.9 million to Quebec over three years. This regional initiative prioritizes business growth and productivity projects, particularly for SMEs, to help them meet existing or future needs of the Canadian Armed Forces, NATO or allied countries. These projects aim to increase their production and innovation capacity; improve their productivity and competitiveness; explore and expand into new markets; meet defence certification and qualification standards; support business start-up and growth, with the aim of integrating into national or international defence supply chains; and respond to calls for proposals from prime defence contractors and the Government of Canada. We want Quebec businesses to increase their production capacity. We want them to develop innovative technology. We want them to improve their productivity, meet defence certification requirements and compete successfully in global and domestic markets. Most importantly, we want workers and communities in Quebec to prosper. Projects funded by the regional defence investment initiative should support hundreds of well-paying jobs across Quebec. Thanks to our regional offices, such as Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, or CED, and Export Development Canada, or EDC, support will be available across the province to help businesses in large and small communities to take advantage of opportunities and access Canada’s growing defence-related investments. These investments are being made in a province that is already a major hub for defence and innovation. Quebec has over 8,500 jobs in the defence sector, which accounts for about one quarter of the total workforce in Canada’s defence industry. Quebec’s aerospace sector is one of the most sophisticated in the world. I am not sure whether members have heard me mention this in previous speeches, but the Lower Laurentians is home to several aerospace companies, such as L3Harris, which maintains the F-35s we were discussing earlier; Airbus; Bell Textron, a helicopter supplier; and MHI RJ Aviation Group, which is developing all sorts of new technologies to meet the needs of the future, because when it comes to defence, we no longer need the same equipment as before. The province’s advanced manufacturing sector is internationally recognized. These research institutions are making advances in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, communications, sensors, optics and highly advanced materials. As defence spending increases, both in Canada and amongst our allies, these forces place Quebec, and of course the Lower Laurentians, in a strong position to seize a growing share of these new opportunities. Businesses operating in aerospace, information technology, security, advanced transportation, critical minerals and precision manufacturing will have opportunities for growth. When it comes to transportation, I would like to point out that my riding is home to the Nova Bus electric bus assembly plant, Blainville is home to test tracks and the neighbouring riding is home to Paccar. SMEs producing drones, optical systems, simulators, surveillance technologies, electronic components and specialized manufacturing equipment are already well positioned to play a greater role in defence supply chains. In fact, the number of Quebec businesses interested in the defence sector has more than doubled over the past year. This shows both the confidence of Quebec entrepreneurs and the magnitude of the opportunities that lie ahead. We do not need to speculate on what these opportunities might bring. We can already see the results within the Quebec companies that are creating jobs, developing advanced technologies and competing in global markets. Consider a company like CAE in Montreal. As a global leader in flight simulation and training technologies, CAE has benefited from defence-related investments that strengthened Quebec’s and Canada’s global leadership in simulation and training technologies. As an aside, my son is a commercial pilot, and he teaches courses on CAE simulators in Saint-Hubert. I wish my son all the best as he pursues his career as a commercial pilot. These investments support research, exports and highly skilled jobs. Our task now is to build on this success and create the conditions for more Canadian companies to grow, innovate and remain competitive. This is precisely the goal of our government’s new defence industrial strategy, under which we have committed $6.6 billion over five years to strengthen Canada’s defence industrial base. We are investing and improving supply chains, accelerating innovation, and improving access to capital for Canadian businesses. Through its first-ever defence industrial strategy, the government is strengthening the industrial foundations underpinning Canada’s security and economic resilience. By combining long-term investments in both defence and industrial capabilities, the strategy supports businesses and Canadian workers, improves our supply chains and makes Canada a trusted partner to its allies. We are making historic investments in Canada’s defence ecosystem to transform our armed forces. We are creating good, well-paying jobs for Canadians across the country and, most importantly, we are supplying the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment it needs to protect Canada’s security and sovereignty. The defence industrial strategy acknowledges a simple fact: Canadians should benefit from major defence investments. For that reason, our government is prioritizing Canadian suppliers, Canadian materials and Canadian innovation. This is also why we created the Defence Investment Agency: to modernize procedures, speed up projects and help Canadian businesses participate more actively in defence procurement opportunities. What does this mean for Quebec? For Quebec, these investments mean more procurement contracts. They mean opportunities for SMEs and growth in the aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors. They mean investments in research and innovation. I am not going to take up any more of the House’s time, although I could go on at length about the many positive aspects of all this. Our objective is to help workers, businesses and communities in Quebec and across Canada. I am ready to take my colleagues’ questions.”