By Dr. Ann Griffiths, 4 October 2025
The federal government has made investing in defence one of its priorities. And to get that moving, it will be crucial to deal with Canada’s glacial/painful pace of defence procurement. On 2 October the government has announced its solution to this problem – the Defence Investment Agency (DIA).
The plan is to unite and streamline the fragmented and complicated procurement process into one agency. According to the government announcement of the establishment of DIA, there are four major elements of this. First, it will “consolidate procurement processes – removing duplicative approvals and red tape, accelerating defence procurement, and providing industry with greater clarity and certainty.” This includes a centralized process and specialized staff. Second, DIA will “tie procurement more strategically to domestic industrial benefits – creating new careers, growing our economy, and supercharging innovation in aerospace, shipbuilding, and advanced manufacturing.” This will (in theory) help Canadian firms “scale up, develop cutting-edge capabilities, and compete globally,” and prioritize “dual purpose infrastructure that delivers immediate benefits for both our military and Canadians.” Third, DIA will “ensure earlier engagement between the Canadian Armed Forces and Canada’s defence industry, so the military can underscore operational needs, and industry can provide realistic assessments of timelines, costs, and technological options.” And, fourth, it will “align Canada more closely with partners such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and France, who already have dedicated procurement bodies, making joint defence purchases and partnerships easier and more efficient.” [See “Prime Minister Carney launches new Defence Investment Agency to rebuild, rearm, and reinvest in the Canadian Armed Forces faster” at https://www.pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2025/10/02/prime-minister-carney-launches-new-defence-investment-agency-rebuild]
I like to remain optimistic, but I wonder if this will be another in a long line of hopeful, but ultimately unsuccessful, attempts to speed up procurement and oomph up the Canadian defence industry. I hope it succeeds -- but I’m very interested to hear what Broadsides’ contributors think of the plan.
Image: Prime Minister Carney, with Defence Minister McGuinty behind him, announces how Canada will get to 2% of GDP in defence spending by 2026 during an event in Toronto, 9 June 2025. Credit: David McGuinty's X account
