Ottawa, 30 August 2016 –At the Inclusive Innovation Agenda roundtable hosted in Toronto today, the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) has proposed concrete ideas for the Government of Canada to partner with the Canadian defence industry to drive innovation-led growth.

“The Canadian defence industry proposed that as part of its Inclusive Innovation Agenda, the government develop a Made in Canada Defence Industrial Policy to help bring to bear existing government policies and programs. This would allow the government to more effectively use defence procurement budgets to generate both innovation-led growth in Canada and the military capabilities required by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF),” said CADSI President Christyn Cianfarani.

The ongoing recapitalization of the CAF—the largest re-equipping of the Forces in decades—provides a once in a generation opportunity for the government to drive innovation-led growth through the Canadian defence industrial base. The opportunities presented by the Canadian defence industry are unique in that the government has more influence over the industry’s growth and its impact on innovation as the government is the main if not sole customer within Canada.

The roundtable was hosted by two Government of Canada Innovation Leaders, Dr. Arvind Gupta, a visiting Professor at the University of Toronto, and Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, CEO of the MaRS Discovery District. The roundtable is part of the government’s larger Inclusive Innovation Agenda spearheaded by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Economic Development, along with the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism.

“Today’s discussions were just one of the many opportunities the Canadian defence industry—an innovation-rich sector of the Canadian economy—is sharing its global experiences and insights with the government so that Canada can thrive as an international leader for innovation,” said Ms. Cianfarani.

About CADSI

The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) is the national industry voice of more than 800 Canadian defence and security companies that produce world-class goods, services and technologies made across Canada and sought the world over. The industries contributes to the employment of more than 63,000 Canadians and generate $10 billion in annual revenues, roughly 60 per cent of which come from exports. To learn more, visit www.defenceandsecurity.ca and follow us on Twitter at @CadsiCanada.

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