Ford government unveils framework for growing Ontario defence industry over next decade

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Ontario is planning to double down on its defence sector over the next 10 years as the Liberal government in Ottawa looks to spend billions of dollars more on defence.

Premier Doug Ford is outlining the 10-year strategy – called the Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy (ODIS) – at a conference hosted by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries Thursday.

“As Canada and our allies respond to increasing global uncertainty by making record investments in defence and security, Ontario has the world-class workers, manufacturers and critical resources to help protect ourselves and our allies,” Ford said in a statement.

“Our provincial defence strategy will position Ontario to take advantage of these record investments, contributing to global security, supporting Ontario companies and bringing tens of thousands of good-paying defence jobs to our province.”

The framework outlines the opportunity to capitalize on increased defence spending both within Canada and by allies around the world. The province points out that the federal government has pledged an additional $81.8 billion over five years in order to help reach its NATO commitment of investing five per cent of GDP in defence by 2035.

Government officials say that with NATO allies ready to spend trillions on security projects in the coming years there is a “generational opportunity” to capitalize on the defence sector.

Ontario is well-positioned to take part in the opportunity because of its skilled workforce, critical minerals, high-tech sector, nuclear technology, existing defence sector and other assets, government officials say.

There are currently 300 firms employing about 13,000 people in the defence sector in Ontario at the moment, according to government numbers.

The province says its defence strategy could create 43,000 jobs and add $400 million annually to provincial coffers in added tax revenue by 2035, while positioning Ontario as a key player in the defence industry.

The defence industrial strategy will go hand-in-hand with other long-term initiatives that will be laid out later this year, officials said.

The Ford government plans to consult with municipalities, academia and industry stakeholders on its defence plan over the coming weeks and months.

While the ODIS framework points out all the ways Ontario could potentially take part and benefit from increased defence spending, it does not put any dollar commitments on any specific defence initiatives so far.