Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time today with the member for Tobique—Mactaquac. I rise today to speak in support of Bill C-40, the strengthening Canada’s defence sector act. This legislation represents an important step in modernizing Canada’s defence procurement system, strengthening our domestic defence industry and ensuring that the investments we make in our national security deliver meaningful results for Canadians. At its core, the bill is about three things: equipping the Canadian Armed Forces with the capabilities they need, building a stronger and more resilient Canadian defence industrial base and ensuring that Canada is positioned to meet the security challenges of an increasingly uncertain world. These three objectives are deeply connected. We cannot have a strong national defence without the industrial capacity to support it. We cannot build that capacity without giving Canadian businesses the opportunity to innovate, compete and grow. We cannot achieve either objective if our procurement system is unable to move at the speed our national security demands. That is why Bill C-40 matters. As parliamentary secretary and the member of Parliament representing the communities of Kanata, Carp, Bells Corners and Stittsville, I see this legislation through two important lenses: our responsibility to defend Canadians, and our opportunity to build on the extraordinary talent, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit that exist within communities across the country. My community of Kanata is home to a remarkable technology ecosystem. Our businesses work at the forefront of advanced software, cybersecurity, communications, aerospace and other technologies that are increasingly essential to modern defence. These companies understand innovation. They understand the importance of investing in research and development. They understand that in a rapidly changing technological environment, the ability to move quickly can make the difference between leading and falling behind. We need a defence procurement system that understands that reality as well. I would like to address three key areas: how this bill supports the objectives of Canada’s defence industrial strategy, how we can create greater opportunities for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses, and how this legislation helps modernize the way Canada acquires the capabilities necessary to defend our sovereignty. On the first, supporting the objectives of Canada’s defence industrial strategy, our government recognizes that defence procurement must serve a purpose beyond merely the acquisition of equipment. Of course, our Canadian Armed Forces must have the equipment, technology and infrastructure they need to carry out their work. That is our first responsibility. However, the way we make those investments also matters. Defence spending represents an opportunity to strengthen Canadian industrial capacity, support highly skilled workers, encourage innovation and develop the sovereign capabilities we need to protect our country over the long term. Canada’s defence industrial strategy provides a framework to achieve these objectives. It recognizes that our national security and our economic prosperity are closely linked. This bill supports this ambition by proposing to establish the Defence Investment Agency as a Crown corporation, with a clear mandate, dedicated leadership and greater operational and commercial flexibility. This is a meaningful change. By bringing key defence procurement, production and investment activities together within a dedicated organization, the agency will be better positioned to reduce unnecessary hand-offs, make decisions more efficiently and provide greater predictability to Canadian industry. The proposed model also maintains government oversight and preserves the responsibility of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces to establish their operational requirements. We are working to improve how decisions are delivered, without losing sight of who those decisions are meant to serve. Our defence industrial strategy recognizes that Canada must be deliberate about what we build domestically, where we partner with trusted allies, and when we purchase capabilities from international suppliers. This approach allows us to strengthen Canadian expertise where it is strategically important, while recognizing that collaboration with our allies remains essential to our collective security. Our geography, our Arctic responsibilities, and our commitments to NATO and other international partners require strong domestic capabilities combined with reliable international partnerships. The Defence Investment Agency can help connect those priorities. It can help ensure that major defence investments are considered not only in terms of what we need to acquire today, but also in terms of the industrial capacity, supply chains and technical expertise that we will need tomorrow. That is how defence procurement becomes a longer-term investment in Canada’s security and sovereignty. Secondly, we must ensure that Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises have a meaningful place in this strategy. When we talk about Canada’s defence industry, it is natural to think about major shipbuilding projects, large equipment manufacturers and significant military platforms. Those are important, but a strong defence industrial base also depends on the smaller businesses developing specialized technologies, designing advanced components, building secure software and solving complex engineering problems. Those companies are often responsible for the innovations that give our defence capabilities a competitive advantage. There are also important employers in communities all across our country. In my riding of Kanata, we have a strong and growing defence innovation ecosystem. The Ottawa area has built an international reputation for technology and innovation. We have companies with deep expertise in software, secure communications, cybersecurity, sensors and advanced digital systems. I look to the work of Kanata-based company Adaptive Marine Solutions, which is designing and engineering the next generation of vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard. These vessels will give the Canadian Coast Guard the tools it needs to conduct marine research, mapping, search and rescue, and maritime security and enforcement operations. I also look to Kongsberg Geospatial. Its real-time geospatial software supports applications such as situational awareness and unmanned systems. These examples demonstrate the kind of specialized Canadian expertise that can contribute to modern defence capabilities, but they also demonstrate why it is so important that our procurement system be accessible to innovative Canadian businesses. A smaller business or smaller company may have a promising technology that may address a genuine operational need. It may have talented engineers, a strong research team and a solution that could benefit the Canadian Armed Forces, but developing a technology and operationalizing it are two very different challenges. We must make sure as we move forward that our procurement system does not unintentionally prevent Canadian innovation from reaching the people who need it. Bill C-40 would create an opportunity to improve the relationship between government and industry. With greater commercial flexibility, the Defence Investment Agency would be better positioned to engage with suppliers, assess potential solutions and move from validated requirements to procurement decisions more efficiently. I am honoured to have the opportunity to speak to this bill today, and I look forward to the questions that will come.
