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Government hints at boosting Canada’s military spending

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I have long said that you could fund the CAF to 4 percent of GDP, but we would still lag behind in NATO and be much the same where we are.

It's never the money, it's politics. It's procedures. It's the pork-barreling in our defence spending that makes us a paper tiger in NATO.

My only hope in all of this for the CAF and the GoC, whatever the political stripe that may be, is that it will rouse them out of the "Peace Dividend" slumber. The world has been unstable since 1945. We have used geography, proximity, and association as a Defence Policy ever since. ICBMs don't care how close to the U.S. or how far from Russia/China we are.

Don't give us a dime more, but let us spend money on defence like it matters. The fact we follow the same rules for purchasing a fighter aircraft as we do for buying office furniture for a Service Canada office is disgraceful. Don't treat defense procurement as a stimulus package for Canadian Industry. There I said it.

We spend so much money, time, and effort trying to get that money to stay in Canada; be it by awarding contracts to companies with no capability to produce items without first "retooling" and"developing the production lines", or by hamstringing perfectly competent and competitive bidders by forcing the project to be made in St. Margaret de Poutain de Champignon, QC because the ruling government either lost the seat in the election, or won it with promises.

We spend so much money and staff hours jumping through TBS regulations that are great for other departments, but are terrible for defence procurement. Some items you have to sole source, because there are technologies and capabilities no one else makes. By doing the bid process, you get companies clamoring for a project they can't deliver on, but because they tick the bright boxes on the score sheet....

I truly and honestly belief we need to split from PSPC and legislate that its not beholden to TBS, only to the PBO/PCO. The guiding principles of this new Defence Procurement department should be "Off the shelf, from somewhere else" if there isn't an industry in Canada.

BOOTFORGEN has demonstrated how well we do when we are able to actually get what we need, instead of lining the pockets of a Canadian company that got lucky.

That, but with tanks, fighters, ships, weapons systems....
 
Strong chance that the Brampton Stellantis (Chrysler) facility is going to be shutdown. Retool it for SK tank production, local workforce continues to have jobs, CDN tool & die shops can supply machined parts and we build in-house capabilities.
The way things are going with 47, there may soon be plenty of capacity in idle vehicle manufacturing facilities.

If anyone in Ottawa is listening for ideas for where to put money into Tariff related job disruption, here it is - a self sufficient defence industry to fill the empty factories. - There is a moderate domestic need and a growing international demand for products that are on lengthy backorder.

;)
 
I still think Windsor should be considered. Not just because of their history and expertise of military manufacture.

But because we are about a half an hour from here.


Especially TACOM and GVSC
Windsor's got issues with electricity/power availability that OPG is trying to address now. Adding a net new facility down there would result in the need to address this all over again.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table of my father's house in Windsor right now (working remotely down here today) and he was telling me about this just last night. Its mostly because of this - NEXTSTAR ENERGY | WHO WE ARE

 
lots of other auto factories to choose from. Oshawa is a ghost town, don't think there is anything happening in the old St. Thomas plant which would allow it to draw on experienced labour from London. Idea definitely has merit
Some of Oshawa is still operating. Ford Talbotville has been an overgrown field since 2011 and I'm sure the workforce has moved on. The land was apparently sold in 2021. Rumour was the buyer being Amazon but I can't find anything more recent. A new EV battery plant is going up nearby (VW?). Lets share the wealth. ;)

I agree with Kevin. For the sheer mass of the components and finished product of a tank, you pretty well have to start new from the foundation up.
 
I put my thoughts on the F-35 there, but it relates to a lot of other things.

The way things are going with 47, there may soon be plenty of capacity in idle vehicle manufacturing facilities.

If anyone in Ottawa is listening for ideas for where to put money into Tariff related job disruption, here it is - a self sufficient defence industry to fill the empty factories. - There is a moderate domestic need and a growing international demand for products that are on lengthy backorder.

;)
I now believe the Tariff threats are just ways to manipulate the stock market for personal or close circle gain from DJT. Musk now needs those profits and the new 38B in USG contracts he's swindling, as he's taking a huge loss on everything elsewhere.

The US Defense Industries are taking a beating from this - the big three or four are taking significant share price hits, and Musks Morons are running around trying to cancel contracts without understanding of the way programs are often interlaced. You may find in the next few months that the asking price direct from some companies is fairly attractive - and given the Big Guys also have Canadian subsidiaries - you may just find that there is willingness to expand more production facilities out of the US.

I will say that the one thing that needs to be Canadian is Satellites - you guys need the ability to build, launch and support space based systems - from communications, to global positioning, and National Reconnaissance Assets.
 
Auto plants are huge and have considerable land around them for vehicle marshalling and parking (as well as railheads). If they are closed/closing then possible locations for re-development into the urban bases we might want?

St. Thomas to Meaford is 3-1/4 hrs.
Oshawa to Meaford is 2-3/4 hrs.
Oshawa to Petawawa is 4 hrs.
Edmonton to Wainwright is 2-1/4 hrs
 
Any maintainer or supply types here that can explain what the heck is broken in our parts system?
Money. The department is underfunding in-service support by something that is at least nine figures. This has a compounding effect over years as this year’s parts deficit is added to the last years’ deficits.
 
I will say that the one thing that needs to be Canadian is Satellites - you guys need the ability to build, launch and support space based systems - from communications, to global positioning, and National Reconnaissance Assets.
100%. We already have the industry to produce satellites and related technologies. What we need is independent launch capability. There appears to be Canadian companies developing options like RDX or maybe we could partner with an existing launch company to establish a facility here?
 
The US Defense Industries are taking a beating from this - the big three or four are taking significant share price hits, and Musks Morons are running around trying to cancel contracts without understanding of the way programs are often interlaced. You may find in the next few months that the asking price direct from some companies is fairly attractive - and given the Big Guys also have Canadian subsidiaries - you may just find that there is willingness to expand more production facilities out of the US.
Yup.

That said, not quite a firesale yet, but perhaps some money to be made if someone wants to buy in to US defence (although I’d actually wait a little bit more as there’s probably some more bullishness in the US D&S market)


Of the Big-6, Raytheon is the only one really not bleeding, but missiles are big this year …

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…and the only non-tubing D&S company in America…
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I will say that the one thing that needs to be Canadian is Satellites - you guys need the ability to build, launch and support space based systems - from communications, to global positioning, and National Reconnaissance Assets.

And here's the Canadian satellite coming to pick your pocket for tax money ;)

International Space Station Earth GIF by European Space Agency - ESA
 
Yup.

That said, not quite a firesale yet, but perhaps some money to be made if someone wants to buy in to US defence (although I’d actually wait a little bit more as there’s probably some more bullishness in the US D&S market)


Of the Big-6, Raytheon is the only one really not bleeding, but missiles are big this year …

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…and the only non-tubing D&S company in America…
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Nice - now compare that against Thales, BAE Systems, Naval Group, Leonardo and whatever major European defense stocks and see where they have gone over the last 3 months - there will be a delta.
 
Windsor's got issues with electricity/power availability that OPG is trying to address now. Adding a net new facility down there would result in the need to address this all over again.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table of my father's house in Windsor right now (working remotely down here today) and he was telling me about this just last night. Its mostly because of this - NEXTSTAR ENERGY | WHO WE ARE


Yup. The world ends at London. Beyond that, there be dragons.

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I now believe the Tariff threats are just ways to manipulate the stock market for personal or close circle gain from DJT.
I haven't voiced that out loud, but it's been playing in my mind for a few days now. The person who controls the timing of chaos can make enormous profits in the market. I have no idea as to whether the concept of blind trusts is a thing in the US or if Trump would even care as he'd circumvent it in any event.

:unsure:
 
100%. We already have the industry to produce satellites and related technologies. What we need is independent launch capability. There appears to be Canadian companies developing options like RDX or maybe we could partner with an existing launch company to establish a facility here?
Idea was floated for a "Space Port" in Cape Breton. Never seemed to gain traction tho'. Any new info?
 
Some of Oshawa is still operating. Ford Talbotville has been an overgrown field since 2011 and I'm sure the workforce has moved on. The land was apparently sold in 2021. Rumour was the buyer being Amazon but I can't find anything more recent. A new EV battery plant is going up nearby (VW?). Lets share the wealth. ;)

I agree with Kevin. For the sheer mass of the components and finished product of a tank, you pretty well have to start new from the foundation up.
so St. Thomas would work nicely
 
100%. We already have the industry to produce satellites and related technologies. What we need is independent launch capability. There appears to be Canadian companies developing options like RDX or maybe we could partner with an existing launch company to establish a facility here?

Idea was floated for a "Space Port" in Cape Breton. Never seemed to gain traction tho'. Any new info?

There's not much of a business case for a fully independent launch capability. There's no cost advantage launching from Nova Scotia. And while an argument can be made for a sovereign capability, we would need a whole pipeline of GOGO or GOCO that could sustain the launch capability. That requires serious funding. Not impossible. But not a current reality. Our mil space community would be absolutely happy to get that kind of growth.
 
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