TRADE SHOW & CONFERENCE REPORT
BY JAMES CARELESS
The time has come for Canada to forge its own path in defence! This was the message that rang loud and clear during CANSEC 2025, the annual convention and trade show hosted by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI). It was held May 28-29, 2025 at Ottawa’s EY Centre.
CADSI President and CEO, Christyn Cianfarani, opened the well-attended convention with a hard-hitting ‘call to arms’ to Ottawa and the Canadian defence industry. “Canada’s relationship with its closest ally and trading partner has been fundamentally altered,” she declared. “For us to set our path or choose our priorities, it’s us who have to take a hard look at ourselves and the world around us and chart a new course. Every elected official can lead with courage and clarity. Slogans are no longer enough. Our strongest industries are also [our] guarantors of sovereignty and tools of statecraft. So, leverage them to the hilt!”
As for the many problems affecting domestic defence procurement and the readiness of the Canadian Armed Forces? “We go to war with what and who we have,” replied Cianfarani. “Every captain of industry can own their status as a national champion, investing capital here. Your companies float entire local economies, and every entrepreneur can become the next champion. Small business? Not for long: Dream big. And every Canadian can raise their hand and say, yes! Our sovereignty and the defence of this nation matters. And they’re looking to us to see it through. Because if not us, then who?”
CDR RECEPTION
Before we get into the highlights from CANSEC we would be remiss if we did not mention CDR’s pre-CANSEC reception. As is the case every year, CDR’s hosted a pre-CANSEC reception to celebrate Canada’s Top Defence Company and Canada’s Defence Executive of the Year. This year CDR presented a plaque to CAE’s France Hebert and Marc-Olivier Sabourin. CDR also presented a trophy to Roman Shimonov, CEO & Founder of Roshel, the armoured vehicle manufacturer. The event was attended by over 200 executives, experts, and industry leaders – including Christyn Cianfarani.
McGUINTY MAKES HIS ENTRANCE
Just 15 days after being sworn in as Mark Carney’s new Minister of National Defence, David McGuinty made his first appearance on the CANSEC stage. “This is my first major engagement as Minister of National Defence,” he told the packed CANSEC meeting hall. “This is a huge privilege and an incredible responsibility.”
Having said this, McGuinty did not mince words in summing up the current perilous world situation. “Russia’s illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine has stretched into a third viciously brutal year,” he said. “China’s imperial ambitions are increasingly clear in its military buildup and its assertive posture towards other international powers; and states like North Korea and Iran continue to act as destabilizing forces in the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East. Canada is not immune to these threats. We face real challenges both military and non-military. That demand has equally strong and coordinated responses. This includes growing activity in the Arctic where our competitors have shown little hesitation in challenging Canada’s territorial sovereignty, as well as the threats posed by emerging technologies that are changing the very nature of war.”
Faced with these threats, the Canadian government is ready to act. “We get it,” said McGuinty. “We’re moving quickly to ensure our military has the tools to defend our country and continent while remaining an engaged, reliable partner abroad. Here’s the key message I want to leave with you here this morning: This work can only be done in partnership with you. It is work that needs the full spectrum of equipment and services offered in this room. From quantum computing to shields to ammunition — a new government was elected some four short weeks ago and ran on a platform to strengthen Canada’s sovereignty and security. Your government is moving to take immediate and decisive action to rebuild Canada’s defence capacity, re-arm the Canadian Armed Forces, and invest in the Canadian defence industry.”
In case anyone in the room doubted his sincerity, the new Minister of National Defence doubled down on his pro-defence industry position. “Your government’s promise to you is simple,” McGuinty said. “We will be unafraid to carry the flag of the Canadian defence industry around the globe. We’ll be unafraid to champion the innovative and class leading technology of Canadian companies and we’ll be unafraid to help you compete on the world stage.”
Of course, the Canadian defence industry has heard similar reassuring words from the federal government before, with middling results at best. David McGuinty acknowledged this fact when he said, “In previous engagements with National Defence and industry, many of you have raised concerns about friction points, timelines, and the need for clear and consistent guidance. I want to reassure you, your comments have been heard [and that] our forthcoming Defence Industrial Strategy will put your insights into action. If we get it wrong, tell us. If we get it right, tell us. Canada has planned to triple defence spending in 2014 levels by 2030, but your government is willing to accelerate this, so stay tuned. The government will invest more to acquire the necessary equipment the CAF needs to be successful in carrying out its missions.”
CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM
The CANSEC 2025 show floor was as jammed with exhibits as it was with delegates. Judging by the buzz there, it would seem that the prosperous times promised by McGuinty had already arrived in Ottawa!
So, what did the defence companies on the show floor think of the new Defence Minister’s upbeat words? The best way to describe their responses was ‘cautiously optimistic’.
“Cautiously optimistic, I think, is the right reaction,” said Ian Krepps, Vice President of Growth and Business Development at Thales Canada Defence and Security. However, “we are looking forward to tangible examples of how that commitment manifests itself, how it becomes operationalized in terms of not just the end state of procurement, but in the dialogue that’s necessary to move procurement forward at pace.”
“I think we are encouraged by the minister and the Prime Minister’s commitments,” agreed Cara Salci, Thales Canada’s Vice President of Strategy & Government Relations. “Now that the government is installed, we need to see some real signals about how Canada is going to deploy funding and reorganize procurement, to be able to meet our global obligations.”
“We’ve heard this from the government before,” said Gill Fortin, Viasat’s Regional Sales Director. “So, hearing this from the new defence minister or Prime Minister Carney is a lot of what we’ve already heard in the past. So are we expecting huge changes? Not really. I think that it’ll continue to be as it has in the past, but we’re prepared for that. We’re here for the long game and our intention is to wait it out and see when those big contracts start coming out.”
This being said, “there’s a recognition that some things do need to be done,” said Todd McDonell, Viasat’s President of International Government relations. “There’s a lot of work going on right now about priorities because you can’t fund everything. I think one of the things that’s still being worked out is, ‘what is our approach? What do we have to worry about first, second, and third?’
Speaking of priorities, the Canadian government needs to make “deliberate investments” quickly in specific defence categories, to show that their stated priorities match their lofty words. ‘It would be in the best interest of the Canadian government to make deliberate investments in specific areas that are important to them, because that’s the demand to signal industry that this is the direction you need to go,” said Chris Morton, IFS’ Global Industry Director for Aerospace and Defense. “If you’re able to make very deliberate investments in very specific capabilities right off the bat, that will be your signal to the industry about the direction that you’re going. And frankly, that allows industry the time to be able to respond to the direction that the government is going.”
FAcT ARICRAFT LIVERIES
On the first day of the show, RCAF Commander, Lieutenant General Eric Kenny, unveiled the RCAF liveries (paint schemes) and designations for the fleets of aircraft that will be serving in the Future Aircrew Training (FAcT) program. The two qualities are meant to pay tribute to the RCAF’s 101-year history of the RCAF, while reflecting a forward-looking vision for this service. This is why the most prominent colours in the FAcT fleets will be yellow to reflect the historical ‘training yellow’ of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan aircraft during World War II, and dark blue to reference the modern colours of today’s RCAF. A white and red line, symbolizing Canada’s national flag, will bind the two main colours together.
As for the FAcT aircraft names: The Grob G 120TP single engine propeller trainer has been designated as the CT-102B Astra II. Astra is Latin for ‘star’, which references the RCAF’s motto, ‘Through Adversity to the Stars’. The Pilatus PC-21 advanced single engine propeller trainer is now known as the CT-157 Siskin II. It has been named after the 1920s-vintage Armstrong Whitworth Siskin, which was the RCAF’s first true fighter aircraft. The Beechcraft King Air 260 twin engine propeller aircraft has been designated as the CT-145E Expeditor II,
in a tribute to a comparably sized WW2 training aircraft, the C45/CT-128 Expeditor. And the Airbus H135 helicopter is now called the CT-153 Juno, to honour the CAF’s landing on Juno Beach during D-Day on June 6, 1944. Finally, FAcT’s De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 is being called the CT-142Q Citadel. Its designation comes from two famous Canadian fortresses; La Citadelle de Quebec and the Halifax Citadel.
LORD ROBERTSON
Former NATO Secretary General Lord George Robertson opened the second day of CANSEC 2025 with a stark assessment of the current global situation. “We now have a world characterized by great power competition and conflict with volatile political events, coinciding with a velocity of technological and human change unprecedented in human history,” he said. “That has produced new vulnerabilities that we can scarcely imagine, never mind control — cyber and other attacks on our critical national infrastructure, disinformation campaigns, electoral interference, targeted assassination and sabotage.”
In such an increasingly dangerous world, the communal protection offered by NATO to all of its member nations is more important than ever. Having made this point, Lord Robertson then stated that belonging to NATO has been “a grand bargain for the United States of America. Of course, they bring more to the alliance than the others, but that in turn has given it more clout around the table.” Given these facts, Lord Robertson hoped that President Trump would see the value in “an alliance that they dominate and will, like previous administrations, see how important NATO is to U.S. safety.”
MAJOR CONTRACTS & DEALS
There were many defence deals announced at CANSEC 2025.
CAE and Saab have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate on a training and simulation solution for Canada’s future submarine fleet. Working together, the two companies will explore opportunities to deliver cutting-edge training and simulation solutions for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP).
“This agreement reflects our commitment to strengthening Canada’s sovereign defence capabilities through meaningful industrial collaboration,” said France Hébert, CAE’s Division President, Defense & Security Canada, and Global Operations Lead. “Partnering with global innovators like Saab on initiatives such as the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project highlights how the Canadian industry can lead with innovation, agility, and purpose — delivering solutions that enhance operational readiness and reinforce our role as a trusted defence partner.”
Hanwha also announced that it has signed MOUs with RaceRocks and EllisDon to work together on upcoming Canadian land systems programs. The MOU with RaceRocks sets the conditions for them to develop next-generation training solutions for the Canadian Army. The MOU with EllisDon is to advance discussions and foster collaboration on delivering key infrastructure solutions for the Canadian Armed Forces.
“We see significant opportunities for synergies between Hanwha and these Canadian partners — RaceRocks and EllisDon,” said Michael Coulter, President & CEO, Hanwha Global Defence. “With the signing of these MOUs, Hanwha can begin developing strategic relationships with these partners, which will also enhance and strengthen the relationship between Canada and South Korea.”
RUSSIA CAN ONLY BE STOPPED BY FORCE
As someone who grew up under Soviet occupation, former Lithuanian Foreign Affairs Minister Gabrielius Landberghis has no illusions about Russian imperial ambitions. “Putin’s Russia, and even Russia after Putin, will never stop their centuries of imperialism until they’re stopped by force,” he said during the final CANSEC 2025 keynote speech on May 29. “The enemy’s army is already marching towards us. We didn’t avoid escalation since 2008, 2014 or 2022 [through appeasement]. We simply encouraged Putin to escalate further.”
During his speech, Landberghis spotlighted Europe’s reluctance to rebuild its own defence capabilities, choosing instead to rely on the US nuclear umbrella to keep the Russians at bay. Prior to 2022, “the belief was that with a combination of transatlantic security guarantees to Europe and economic incentives to Russia, it would be possible to keep Putin’s ambitions and decrepit military forces in check,” he said. “[Meanwhile] During that time, Europeans said all the right things, but unfortunately did very little preparation. After the 2022 invasion, there was hope that the situation would change dramatically and that European factories would start rolling out tanks, howitzers and ammunition. This happened, but not to the extent that one would have hoped.”
Today, with the Trump regime having put the reliability of NATO’s Article 5 protection of Europe in doubt, the continent is scrambling to rebuild its military defences through the ReArm Europe Plan. Under that plan, “an extra 1.5% of GDP can be spent (by European countries) on defence,” said Landberghis. “This is nothing to sneer at. It’ll bring substantial money to the sector. Germany’s leap will be the biggest: Half a trillion Euros in defence spending is going to make a lot of difference.”
Still, it will take time for Europe to rebuild its defences. Unless NATO — and, most importantly, the Americans — are willing to keep Putin at bay until the job is done, things may go very, very wrong in Europe.
“Deterrence depends on trust and belief,” Landberghis said. “The enemy must be convinced that we have the political will and capability to retaliate against an attack. However, in recent months, the political will has started to look very shaky. Remember, for deterrence to be effective, the only person who has to believe in [NATO] Article 5 is Putin. I doubt he believes in it as strongly now as he did before.”
A VERY BUSY CANSEC
After Gabrielius Landberghis concluded his hard-hitting speech, CADSI President and CEO Christyn Cianfarani wrapped up one of the busiest CANSECs in years. She noted that this year’s convention lineup had been a work-in-progress. “The political environment both here at home and abroad did prompt us to shake up our roster of keynotes,” explained Cianfarani. “I felt it was important for us to hear the ground truth from a variety of perspectives, and clearly, our speakers delivered. A Thank You to all of them for sharing their honest thoughts with us.”
Having given her own thanks to various groups in the audience — including her CADSI staff — Cianfarani closed CANSEC 2025 with the following words. “I will leave you all with this: We are starting down a new path,” she said. “As a nation, the Prime Minister’s mandate letter is a clear call to action for all of us. We need to develop a defence industrial policy that secures Canada, fulfills our responsibilities to our allies and helps build our economy. There cannot be a more clear call to action than that.”
James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief
