On October 6, 2026, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-40, the Strengthening Canada’s Defence Sector Act, proposing to establish the Defence Investment Agency (DIA) as a Crown corporation. The proposed changes would give the agency greater commercial flexibility and contracting authority, while the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces would retain responsibility for defining operational requirements and accepting delivered equipment.

In this episode of the Expert Series, Siobhan Hardy, former senior assistant deputy minister of defence and marine procurement at Public Services and Procurement Canada, examines the proposed legislation and how the new structure could change defence procurement in Canada.

She discusses the potential effects on major acquisitions, including Canada’s next-generation submarine fleet; the division of responsibilities between the DIA and other government departments; the balance between operational independence and ministerial oversight; and lessons from the Canada–U.S.–Finland Ice Pact on allied cooperation, ship design, and defence supply chains.

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The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

Learn more: https://cdainstitute.ca/

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

The CDA Institute is a non-partisan think tank that conducts research and education programming on defence and security.

Learn more: CDA Institute