Engaging with the Canadian Defence Industry

This article is part of our SPOTLIGHT ON CANADA

Interested in engaging with an organisation within Canada’s Defence Industry ecosystem but don’t know where to start? With contacts and forums in New Zealand and virtually, help isn’t far away.

The New Zealand Defence Industry Association (NZDIA) Member Meeting of March 2021 featured several Canadian presenters thanks to the assistance of the High Commission of Canada in New Zealand.

In addition to representatives from several Canadian companies, the meeting heard from Canada’s Aucklandbased Senior Trade Commissioner Francis Huot, Wellington-based Defence Adviser CDR Ted Summers, and the Canadian Association of Defense and Security Industry (CADSI).

Canadian Association of Defense and Security Industry

According to Steve Hillier, the Association’s Associate Vice President, Business Development and Operations, CADSI represents over 936 Canadian companies. “Our job is to lobby on behalf of Canadian companies, but what we really specialise in is bringing people together,” he told the NZDIA Member Meeting in March.

Through its longstanding relationships with the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces, CADSI represents Canada’s defence and security companies to decision makers in Ottawa and across allied nations, acting as a bridge between government and industry. The Association also monitors and provides input into government policy on behalf of its members.

Image: CADSI

CADSI is the organisation behind CANSEC, Canada’s largest defence and security trade show, which has been held annually in Ottawa since 1998. Due to COVID, the event has been cancelled two years in a row, with the next iteration scheduled for 1-2 June 2022.

“The pandemic totally threw us for a loop and as an organisation we’ve been trying to figure out how do we bring our community together in a safe environment,” said Hillier.

“After a lot of outreach to Canadian companies, we came up with the idea of the Canadian Defence Marketplace.”

Created and hosted by CADSI, Canadian Defence Marketplace is a global platform bringing industry and government leaders together for virtual B2B and B2G meetings scheduled, including one that took place on 6 May 2021, and another to take place on 4 November 2021.

The platform features virtual 20-minute B2B & B2G meetings, secure and private networking through video conferencing, and speaker presentations.

“It was the result of working with our membership who were working out of their rooms frustrated because they couldn’t grow their businesses and maintain relationships. LinkedIn was no longer working for them, and they were craving for more meaningful engagement,” said Hillier.

“It’s a fully endorsed programme trusted by key government entities,” he explained. “We went out to the full spectrum of Canadian government agencies, including agencies we don’t traditionally work with, particularly taking into account emerging technologies. We know there is a big emphasis on digitisation of militaries, cybersecurity and innovative agenda, so we definitely wanted to address that.”

“There exist several areas involving innovative capabilities where traditional defence companies don’t have the skillsets, so we’re looking to attract a whole lot of new companies to come and talk to our government partners,” he said. “Over 50 OEMs have agreed to sign up and participate, and over 80 companies from around the world, so it’s truly a global opportunity.”

Canada in New Zealand

The NZDIA March Member Meeting also provided an opportunity for members to meet CDR Ted Summers, Defence Adviser at the Canadian High Commission in Wellington, and Senior Trade Commissioner and Consul Francis Huot, based at the Canadian Consulate and Trade Office in Auckland.

“We come here [to New Zealand] with a focus on defence relations, so we’re generally looking at Defence House as our main job,” said CDR Summers, “but we are also responsive to our industry”.

“In terms of talking to the NZDF, when we’re in uniform we speak the same language and we bring a known quantity, and this helps us engage with our partners here on behalf of our industry.”

On the one hand, he explained, his role includes advising Canadian industry on the New Zealand context and the potential opportunities that exist, while also providing a “straight up and honest assessment to the NZDF of what we think” if asked about the landscape in Canada.

Where the New Zealand Government is looking to procure from Canadian companies, CDR Summers and his team “can help navigate the admin that exists”, including understanding Canada’s controlled goods export restrictions.

For New Zealand industry looking to engage with counterparts in Canada, CDR Summers identified his colleague Senior Trade Commissioner and Consul Francis Huot as “the expert in terms of trade between the two countries.”

An experienced diplomat and trade commissioner, Huot heads up Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) team in Auckland, part of a network of trade commissioners in over 160 cities worldwide.

“We look after everything that has to do with trade and investment, and science and technology and innovation between Canada and New Zealand, and several countries in the Pacific,” said Huot.