Carney Unveils $470 Billion "Defence Industrial Strategy" to Secure Canadian Sovereignty
How a historic "Buy Canadian" pivot aims to turn the mining sector into a national security fortress and detach Ottawa from American reliance.
For decades, Canada’s defence strategy could be summed up with a polite nod south and a quiet assumption that the American security umbrella would keep the rain off. But as of yesterday, Prime Minister Mark Carney has decided it’s time to buy an umbrella of our own, and maybe reinforce it with Kevlar.
In a landmark announcement from Montreal, Carney unveiled the Defence Industrial Strategy, a sprawling roadmap that doesn’t just promise to rearm the Canadian Armed Forces but aims to rewire the entire national economy. We are talking about a colossal C$470 billion over the next decade, allocated as C$180 billion for direct procurement and C$290 billion for infrastructure, to transform Canada from a client state into a "sovereign capability" powerhouse.
The headline isn’t just the money; it’s the attitude. Carney explicitly stated that Canada has been "too reliant" on the United States. With protectionist winds blowing from the Trump administration, Ottawa is pivoting to a "Buy Canadian" model that targets 70% of all defence contracts for domestic firms, up from the current 50%.

