The government will work with the Defence Investment Agency to deliver its Defence Industrial Strategy, making strategic autonomy and resilience explicit procurement priorities. The approach links military acquisitions to Canada’s ability to produce and support the capabilities it needs, while meeting its NORAD and NATO commitments.
The strategy says Canada invested 2% of gross domestic product in defence in 2025–26 and will increase that share towards NATO’s Defence Investment Pledge of 5% by 2035. The government presents the military rebuilding effort as both a response to security threats and a means of strengthening Canadian industrial capacity.
“A stronger Canada begins with the ability to defend Canada,” said Defence Minister David J. McGuinty. “The Plan for a Stronger Canada sets out a clear, whole-of-government plan to protect Canadians, defend our sovereignty, strengthen our economy, and build the capabilities needed to confront the challenges of today and tomorrow.”
Domestic industry and allied cooperation
The plan identifies defence production as an area in which Canada must strengthen its sovereign capabilities. Its procurement agenda combines accelerated acquisitions with the development of a domestic industrial base able to sustain the armed forces as their requirements grow.
The government also intends to deepen cooperation with European partners on strategic capabilities and strengthen defence partnerships in the Arctic. Domestic industrial development and international cooperation are presented as complementary ways to improve Canada’s freedom to act and its contribution to collective defence.
The government describes the plan as Canada’s first national security strategy in more than 20 years. It brings defence and intelligence into a broader framework that treats economic resilience, industrial capacity and national security as closely connected.
Arctic presence and lessons from Ukraine
Protecting Canadian territory, including the Arctic, is identified as the armed forces’ defining task. The strategy calls for a robust, permanent Arctic presence, supported by closer cooperation with like-minded Arctic countries and Canada’s continental defence role through NORAD.
Military development will draw on lessons from modern conflict, including Ukraine, through an approach the strategy calls “defence in depth”. The government intends to develop specialised capabilities and training to help Canadian and allied forces respond to threats across multiple domains.
The plan also calls for a broader range of credible, flexible and scalable military options to deter and counter hybrid warfare and threats in space and cyberspace. Alongside domestic defence, it maintains Canada’s commitment to contributing to security and stability in Europe, the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and elsewhere.
Digital systems and defence intelligence
Budget 2025 included C$10.9 billion over five years to upgrade digital infrastructure across the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces and the Communications Security Establishment Canada. The government says the investment will provide secure, resilient platforms and strengthen cyber defence against increasingly complex and persistent threats.
The strategy also proposes strengthening Canada’s defence intelligence capabilities and investing in artificial intelligence and secure cloud infrastructure. Those investments are intended to improve the speed, scale and sophistication of intelligence collection, processing and analysis.
“In a rapidly changing, more dangerous, more divided world, Canada must have the capacity to defend our sovereignty, the resilience to withstand emerging threats, and the determination to shape our own future,” Carney said. “Our Plan for a Stronger Canada will build that strength.”
