‘We are carrying out strategic investments,’ says local MP, promoting Defense Industrial Strategy
“The world is evolving rapidly, global commerce is disrupted, and supply chains are being subjected to enormous pressures.”
It was with those opening words that Marc-Aurèle-Fortin Liberal MP Carlos Leitão addressed entrepreneurs and business people attending Laval Innov’s IN Forum 2026. It focused this year on the themes of Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and digital transformation.
Leitão, who is parliamentary secretary to Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, is also a former Quebec Liberal finance minister, as well as the former chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities.
Opportunity despite uncertainty
“There is a lot of uncertainty,” Leitão continued, saying one thing is certain: Canadians are not only reacting to change, but are benefiting from it.
Canadian businesses – and especially in Quebec – have always succeeded by innovating, Leitão insisted, while noting the assistance provided in the form of strategic investments by the current Liberal government.
In a moment of candour, Leitão admitted that he’d found himself lately having to defend the enormous deficits run up by the current and previous Liberal governments.
“We are carrying out strategic investments to reinforce the economic sovereignty of Canada,” he said, while adding that one of the government’s current goals is to focus on the potential advancements that stand to be gained through investments in AI technology developed in Canada.
Productivity and employment
“Of course, positivity is the key to success and innovation is the key for productivity,” he continued. According to Leitão, the federal government hopes its strategy will help create 125,000 jobs over the next decade. Currently, he said, there are 80,000 people employed in sectors of the Canadian economy supplying goods and services for defense purposes.
Leitão pitched the Carney government’s latest economy-building endeavour – the new Defense Industrial Strategy. Through this program, federal officials are inviting the country’s small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) to consider bidding for the half-a-trillion dollars in investment Ottawa plans to make in the next ten years to build up the country’s self-defense abilities, while relying less on outside manufacturing sources and providers.
Rapidly changing situation
“The world is changing rapidly,” the federal government said in a statement issued last month when the initiative to boost the country’s security while building the economy was announced in Montreal by Prime Minister Carney.
TheDefense Industrial Strategy is expected toposition Canadian industry to take advantage of $180 billion in defense procurement opportunities and $290 billion in defense-related capital investment opportunities in Canada, with an anticipated $125 billion downstream economic benefit by 2035.
Canada’s defense sector is considered an important contributor to the economy with close to 600 firms directly accounting for 36,000 jobs in 2022, supporting a total of 61,200 jobs across the defense chain. The Defense Industrial Strategy is expected to increase defense exports by 50 per cent, raise the share of defense acquisitions awarded to Canadian firms to 70 per cent, and grow Canadian defense industry revenues by 240 per cent.
Acceleration and transformation
Billed as an innovation and technology event for Laval’s small and medium-size businesses, the annual IN Forum is considered the leading event in Laval for organizations looking to accelerate their digital transformation and discover concrete solutions for innovation.
This year’s forum highlighted key themes for businesses of all sizes, including: Digital transformation: from idea to action plan; Artificial intelligence: concrete use cases for SMEs; Automation and robotics; Customer and employee experience; Data analytics: making faster and better decisions; Culture of innovation and change management; and collaborations and innovation ecosystems.
Aerospace engineer’s perspective
The opening conference at the 2026 forum, by aerospace engineer Farah Alibay, was “An Explorer’s Perseverance: Innovating to Push the Boundaries.” In it, she reflected on her career and the innovations that have made some of the greatest space exploration missions possible.
She shared the challenges, lessons learned and the importance of perseverance and teamwork for innovating in complex environments. A Q&A session with the audience concluded her presentation. A noon-hour dinner-conference featured a panel on the “Challenges of the Manufacturing Sector.”
An expert business panel
The panel speakers were Julie White, CEO of Quebec Manufacturers and Exporters; Maud Cohen, the first woman to lead Polytechnique Montréal; Ludovic Soucisse, CEO of the CCTT Network; and Rose-Marie DiRosa, Manufacturing entrepreneur and CEO of Prox Industriel.
The panel brought together experts from the manufacturing and innovation sectors to discuss the current challenges and opportunities for businesses in Quebec. Participants shared their experiences and advice on stimulating growth, technological adaptation and strategic development.
