Ottawa, 23 November 2016 – Christyn Cianfarani, President of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), today issued the following statement:

CADSI, as the national voice of Canada’s defence and security industries, is ready to work with the Government of Canada through the process of industry engagement as it moves forward to equip the Royal Canadian Air Force with the right aircraft on an interim and permanent basis.

Whether by exploring an interim solution or a permanent replacement, CADSI urges the government to maximize economic benefits to Canada throughout the lifecycle of this major procurement using all the tools and policies the government has at its disposal.

On the interim solution, the government should work with the prime contractor, challenging it to create a Value Proposition and to fulfill its Industrial and Technological Benefits in a manner that is as directed as possible to the benefit of Canada’s defence industrial base.

On the permanent replacement, the government should seek to maximize Canadian industry’s contribution to the global supply chain of the selected aircraft and to have Canadian companies compete amongst themselves to perform mid-life upgrades and customizations that protect Canada’s independence of action.

On both the interim solution and permanent replacement, the government should ensure that the In Service Support (ISS) component of these acquisitions are contracted to Canadian industry, an important part of Canada’s defence industrial base. The financial value of ISS work on these large platforms can be several times the value of the equipment acquisition over a 30-year life cycle, and can involve very sophisticated high-value work dependent on intellectual property rights licenced by the Prime Contractor.

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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