Defense Investment Agency: Modernizing Canada’s Defence Procurement
Overview
The Defence Investment agency is a new special Operating Agency within Public Services and Procurement Canada, led by the Honourable Stephen Fuhr, Secretary of State (Defence Procurement).Day-to-day operations are overseen by Chief Executive Officer Doug Guzman. This agency represents a meaningful step towards transforming Canada’s defence procurement system, focused on rebuilding, rearming, and reinvesting in the canadian Armed Forces to address evolving global threats and operational demands.
Mandate: Rebuilding, Rearming, and Reinvesting
The Agency’s core mission is to modernize defence procurement by centralizing expertise, streamlining decision-making, and reducing bureaucratic hurdles.This will accelerate the delivery of mission-critical equipment to both the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard. Key objectives include:
* Streamlining High-Priority Procurements: Focusing on efficient and rapid acquisition of essential defence capabilities.
* Supporting Canadian Industry: Creating jobs, strengthening the domestic defence industrial base, and fostering innovation.
* Aligning Investments: Ensuring defence investments directly support Canada’s strategic and operational needs.
* Improving Efficiency & Accountability: Reducing administrative overhead and enabling faster, more accountable delivery of defence capabilities through greater autonomy and robust contracting authorities.
Procurement Support & Expertise
The Defence Investment Agency will provide complete support to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Coast Guard across all domains – air, land, sea, and digital. Crucially, the Agency will offer its expertise on all procurements related to Defence, Security, and the Coast Guard, nonetheless of the procurement stage or the involved authorities. This means the Ministers of Government Conversion, Public Works and Procurement, and National Defence can rely on the Agency for guidance on all related procurement matters. This integrated approach will deliver faster, more effective outcomes, strengthening Canada’s long-term defence and security.
Implementation & Next Steps
The Defence Investment Agency will officially begin operations in Fall 2025. The initial phase will focus on:
* Organizational Foundation: Onboarding personnel and establishing internal processes.
* Integrated Teams: Deploying cross-departmental procurement teams.
* Early Engagement: Prioritizing collaboration with departments and industry partners to align on strategic objectives.
* Testing & Refinement: Utilizing this phase as a proving ground for new procurement models and tools.
Following this initial phase, the Agency will pursue broader reforms and seek necessary authorities to prioritize sovereign capabilities and maximize the involvement of Canadian industry.
Integrated Staffing for Success
To effectively deliver on its mandate, the Agency will build integrated procurement teams drawing on expertise from Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Coast Guard, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. this collaborative model ensures continuity, leverages existing knowledge, and fosters cross-departmental synergy.