Canada has ‘relied too heavily’ on other countries for protection, Carney says

By Canadian Press on February 17, 2026.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada should never be held “hostage” by other nations over its own security and has relied too heavily and for too long on geography and allies for protection.

Carney is in Montreal today to unveil Canada’s first-ever defence industrial strategy, which looks to hike Canadian firms’ share of federal defence contracts to 70 per cent over the next decade.

It seeks to boost Canadian defence exports by 50 per cent.

The $6.6-billion plan sets out what the government calls a “build, partner, buy” model to build military gear domestically, especially to cover “sovereign capabilities” critical to national defence or Canada’s commitments to allies.

The plan says Ottawa also will seek to partner with other nations on procurement, or to buy off-the-shelf under conditions that feed back into the domestic industry.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is already dismissing the plan as a “salad bowl of buzzwords” and is calling on Ottawa to instead cut bureaucracy and streamline the government’s purchasing decisions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 17, 2026.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press