Beretta Defense Technologies is strengthening small arms support and service across Canada

Five Centuries of Craft,
One Canadian Mission

BY JEREMY HULL

Beretta’s lineage stretches back nearly 500 years, from the early days of Venetian gun-barrel making to today’s multinational Beretta Holding group. That legacy anchors Beretta Defense Technologies (BDT) Canada, operating in Oshawa, Ontario. For the Canadian team, the heritage matters, but what sets them apart is something more contemporary: a complete infrastructure dedicated to Canadian military and law enforcement users.

George Wallace, General Manager of BDT Canada, says the company’s philosophy mirrors the family-run ethos at the core of Beretta’s global operations. “They find talent with a similar philosophy to the one we have here at BDT,” Wallace told CDR. “They foster the talent and they trust the talent to run.”

Wallace says there is support for employees but from an arm’s length. He says it’s a style that compliments the product and best represents the family.

The blend of heritage and responsibility shapes BDT’s approach to the Canadian market, where it is expanding its footprint during a period of renewed defence investment.

BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE IN CANADA

Many competitors ship products to Canada but Stoeger maintains its own warehouse, distribution network and service team in Oshawa. Everything arrives from overseas, without passing through U.S. distribution hubs. “We operate out of Oshawa, just east of the GTA, where we have distribution and offices,” says Wallace.

This infrastructure includes gunsmiths, service technicians, a commercial sales division and a growing defence-focused team. Wallace emphasizes the importance of physical presence in a market with demanding service and sustainment requirements.

“We have a workforce of 28 people, not including the civilian sales force and not including the cadre team that we intend on building out throughout the course of 2026,” he says. “We have a robust infrastructure to sell, penetrate and support different needs.”

For Canadian procurement authorities and end users, the distinction is significant. Small arms programs aren’t just about acquisition; they depend on long-term support, parts availability and warranty management. Servicing products inside Canada reduces turnaround times and risk.

SUPPORTING MILITARY & LAW ENFORCEMENT

BDT Canada is at the intersection of Beretta’s global defence portfolio and the needs of Canadian users. Wallace underscored the importance of service to both national defence customers and law enforcement agencies.

“We offer a level of service that I think is unmatched,” he says. “There’s a hard-line component to different tenders and contracts, but there’s also a parts and service component that we basically live and stand beside our partners to ensure that it’s fulfilled and ideally surpasses the expectation of our partners.”

The company’s presence in Oshawa allows it to support a wide range of platforms from Beretta, Benelli and Sako, to Steiner optics and other brands under the BDT banner (firearms, optics, IR laser devices, ammunition and ignition technologies). Stoeger coordinates with specialists, technicians and armourers to maintain consistency across its portfolio.

Wallace says the approach is simple: Canada deserves the same level of support that European militaries receive from BDT companies abroad.

FIVE CENTURIES OF CRAFTSMANSHIP

Beretta’s age doesn’t determine its capability but it shapes the company’s culture. Wallace describes a global management environment where general managers meet with the Beretta family twice a year for strategic consultation and alignment.

“We just recently got back from a strategic consult meeting in Switzerland where we go into the factory,” he says. “We go through basically a global overview of the company in the BDT space and it’s very enlightening.”

Wallace says European defence markets are currently spending more than North America. For Canadian customers, this means BDT offers experience from programs already underway in NATO countries that share similar needs and standards.

“It’s quite remarkable to be part of this group,” Wallace says. “The depth of Beretta Holding allows the Canadian team to draw on design, engineering and production capability from across Europe.”

MEETING CANADA’S GROWING DEMANDS

As Canada invests in modernization across its land, air and naval forces, BDT Canada is preparing to expand its capacity. The company’s growing cadre of technicians, sales engineers and support staff reflects an intent to engage more with national defence programs.

“We’re totally vested in the Canadian market,” Wallace told CDR. “We have infrastructure here to support the Canadian market, gun technicians, gunsmiths, a sales force, a cadre that supports our BDT expansion.”

For military customers seeking reliability, small arms procurement is only half the story. The other half is sustainment including parts pipelines, maintenance documentation and performance guarantees. Wallace says BDT Canada is structured to deliver on their greater obligations. He says their capacity to “stand beside partners” is central to BDT’s work in Canada.

“We have the ability to service those needs long term.”

CULTURE, PHILOSOPHY & RESPONSIBILITY

For Wallace, the commitment is also personal. As a Canadian ratepayer, he says he wants the armed forces to receive the right equipment, built for purpose.

“I want to make sure our forces have the right product when they need it on time and that it’ll do the job,” he says.

According to Wallace, BDT’s mission is both sales and stewardship, ensuring global quality and local support align with the expectations of Canadian service members.

The connection to the Beretta family reinforces their sense of purpose. Pride, craft and continuity remain central to the company’s views, its products and their connection to the people who use them. “There’s a lot of pride in what we’re doing because ultimately we’re not just representing respective brands, and product, we’re also representing a family and its 500-year history,” Wallace says.

A GROWING ROLE IN CANADA’S
DEFENCE LANDSCAPE

As defence spending rises and procurement reforms take shape, BDT Canada is positioning itself as a long-term, service-oriented partner for small arms and related systems. Its blend of global heritage, domestic infrastructure and a commitment to sustained support distinguishes it in a competitive market.

“We’ve always been here,” Wallace says, “we’re just investing more in the defence side of our business because we realize it’s an under-serviced part of the market.”

With a growing Canadian workforce, expanding infrastructure and the depth of one of the world’s oldest industrial families, Beretta Defense Technologies Canada aims to play a larger role in equipping and supporting Canada’s military.

Jeremy Hull is CDR’s Halifax Correspondent