Defence & Security Committee

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Priorities

1. Foster federal policies that enhance the competitiveness of Canada’s defence industrial sector.

Support federal policies that strengthen Canada’s defence industrial base and enable businesses across sectors to participate in defence supply chains.

Potential key issues:

• Regulatory efficiency and procurement modernization
• Industrial policy and domestic production capacity
• Tax and investment incentives for defence manufacturing
• Export controls and allied market access
• Workforce and skills development

2. Leverage the Canadian Chamber’s cross-sector presence to create a trusted table and partner where industry and government can collaborate and engage.

Provide a neutral convening forum where leaders from government, the Canadian Armed Forces, industry, Indigenous economic organizations and academia can exchange perspectives on defence, economic security and supply chain resilience.

Potential participants:

• Government departments
• Military leadership
• Non-traditional defence suppliers (AI, energy, minerals, logistics)
• Indigenous development corporations
• Financial institutions (Public – BDC and Private)

3. Create a new voice of the importance and perspectives found across the Canadian defence sector through member consultation and engagement.

Represent the perspectives of Canada’s broader business community on defence policy, economic security and strategic industries.

Potential outputs:

• Policy recommendations to government
• Submissions on defence industrial strategy
• Commentary on procurement reform
• Analysis of defence spending impacts on the Canadian economy

4. Create a forum where Canadian defence suppliers have an opportunity to identify B2B collaboration opportunities. 

Create opportunities for Canadian companies across sectors to build partnerships, integrate into defence supply chains, and collaborate on innovation and commercialization. Not just networking opportunities but large OEMs could look to the Canadian Chamber Network for 2nd- and 3rd-tier Canadian suppliers.

Examples:

• Linking SMEs with primes
• Connecting resource companies to defence supply chains
• Enabling technology partnerships
• Supporting dual-use innovation

5. Mobilize Canadian industry expertise to strengthen the Government of Canada’s new whole-of-government approach to national security and intelligence capabilities.

Create a forum to build new partnerships that enhance Canada’s cyber resilience, information sharing and the cyber defence capacity of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Potential activities:

• Support a federal policy framework that encourages stronger private–public collaboration on intelligence, cyber defence, information sharing and critical infrastructure protection.
• Develop recommendations on how Canada can better leverage domestic technology firms, critical infrastructure operators and cyber security specialists to strengthen national resilience.
• Identify opportunities to strengthen Canada’s cyber talent pipeline and support the growth of Canadian cyber security companies serving both domestic and allied markets.