National Security Boardroom Brief: Canada’s Defence Industry, the Arctic, and Emerging Opportunities under the Carney Government

Event Overview

This PDI Boardroom Brief event will convene senior policymakers, industry leaders, and stakeholders to examine the future of Canada’s defence industry, with a particular emphasis on Arctic and Northern projects. Featuring The Honourable Peter MacKay, former Minister of National Defence, the discussion will provide strategic insight into how Canadian businesses can better position themselves to respond to evolving defence priorities under the Carney government.

Heightened geopolitical competition, growing attention on Arctic sovereignty, and renewed commitments to NORAD modernization and NATO obligations are reshaping Canadian defence procurement and industrial policy. Canadian companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), often struggle to navigate defence procurement processes, understand emerging priorities, or identify where real opportunities lie. This event aims to bridge that gap by pairing policy experience with operational and strategic military insight, particularly in the context of the new Canadian Defence Industrial Strategy.

Objectives

• To explore how Canada’s defence priorities are evolving, with a focus on Canada’s North
• To examine the implications of the Carney government’s new Defence Industrial Strategy for Canadian businesses
• To provide Canadian businesses with practical insights on identifying and pursuing opportunities in defence and dual-use sectors
• To foster informed dialogue between industry, government, and defence experts

Key Themes

• Arctic and northern security: Infrastructure, surveillance, logistics, climate resilience, and sovereignty
• Defence Industrial Policy: Domestic capability, supply chains, and innovation
• Procurement and partnerships: How companies can better engage with government and prime contractors
• Economic and strategic alignment: Defence investment as a driver of growth, jobs, and regional development

Format

The event will consist of a moderated fireside discussion, followed by a moderated Q&A with the audience. The format is designed to encourage candid, forward-looking conversation while allowing participants to engage directly with the speakers.

Target Audience

• Canadian defence and security companies
• Arctic and northern infrastructure firms
• Technology and innovation companies with defence or dual-use applications
• Policy professionals, investors, and industry associations

Expected Outcomes

Participants will leave with a clearer understanding of Canada’s defence trajectory, how Arctic and Northern projects fit into broader national priorities, and how Canadian businesses can better align their strategies to succeed in the evolving policy and procurement environment.

Keynote Speaker

Hon Peter MacKay KC PC, Executive Advisor, Deloitte Canada

Peter served in the Parliament of Canada for over 19 years, 10 as a cabinet minister in high-profile portfolios, including Justice and Attorney General, Department of National Defence, Foreign Affairs, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency ACOA. He chaired the Canadian National security committee and served on numerous cabinet committees for 10 years. He was called to the bar in 1990 and served as a public defender and a Crown Attorney in Nova Scotia before being elected. He works with the Atlantic Canadian law firm McInnes Cooper.  At Deloitte Canada, Mr. MacKay provides strategic advice on projects related to the firm’s leading Government & Public Services Industry practice. He focuses on defence modernization, justice reform, illicit finance, infrastructure, and economic development and recently took on the lead role for Arctic strategy.  

Moderator

BGen (ret’d) Chris Ayotte, OMM, MSM, CD

BGen (ret’d) Chris Ayotte, OMM, MSM, CD, was raised in Ottawa and enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1992. He completed his training as a Military Engineer in 1997 and was privileged to serve in many of the Army’s engineer regiments and the schoolhouse. 

Throughout his career, Chris had opportunities for experiences outside of the military engineer community. He was the Commanding Officer of Canada’s Disaster Assistance Response Team, business planner for the Canadian Army, Director of Cadets at the Royal Military College of Canada, Director of Strategic Communications for the Global Counter-ISIS Coalition, and the Director General of Army Force Development. He also initiated and guided the development of the Army’s digital transformation strategy and advocated for the adoption of non-conventional approaches to address a rapidly changing security environment to build the digital army for tomorrow through innovation, experimentation, and iterative capability development 

In addition to multiple domestic deployments in response to natural disasters, Chris has international deployments to the Balkans, Afghanistan, and the Middle East. He has a bachelors degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering from the Royal Military College in Kingston, a Masters of Arts in Policy and Strategy from the University of New South Wales in Australia, and is a graduate of the National Security Program at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. Upon retirement in July 2022, BGen Ayotte started a consulting business with a focus on national security issues. In addition to being a fellow with CGAI, he chairs an advisory board on veteran volunteerism for the True Patriot Love Foundation. He is currently part of the National Security and Defence team for AWS Canada.