RC124 MayJun 2026 - Magazine - Page 4
EDITOR’S NOTE
TWO PERCENTERS
by John Tenpenny
MAY/JUNE 2026
VOLUME 24, NUMBER 3
IN THE TWO YEARS since our southern neighbour turned its back on us, this country’s new mantra
has become, “Building Canada Strong.” Those three words encapsulate the path the federal
government has been on since Prime Minister Mark Carney took o昀케ce in the spring of 2025.
In addition to clearing the way for major infrastructure projects aimed at bene昀椀tting Canada’s
economy, another goal has been to strengthen our national defence—namely hit the target of
spending 2 per cent of GDP on core defence.
Over the past 10 months the feds—using over a dozen federal departments and agencies—
have spent more than $63 billion, the largest year-over-year increase to Canada’s defence
spending in generations.
According to Carney, the government isn’t slowing down, and plans to accelerate its path to
NATO’s new target of 3.5 per cent and an additional 1.5 per cent of GDP on defence and
security-related investments by 2035.
What does this mean for Canada’s construction industry? A lot more work.
You just have to look at Canada’s recently announced Defence Industrial Strategy to see the
potential.
According to the federal government, the strategy will “transform our defence industries
by prioritizing Canadian suppliers and materials, investing in Canadian innovation and
commercialisation, and streamlining procurement to give businesses consistent and predictable
demand.”
Over the next 10 years, Canadian industry will have the opportunity to take advantage of
$180 billion in defence procurement opportunities and $290 billion in defence-related capital
investment.
Just in the past few months, projects have been announced across the county, from radar
stations to boost NORAD capabilities, to billions to be spent strengthening military bases from
the Arctic Circle to Newfoundland and Labrador.
And it’s not just the military that will be spending funds. Alongside the Defence Industrial
Strategy, the government is also supporting nation-building infrastructure projects, particularly
in the North. Projects that have been forwarded to the Major Projects O昀케ce include:
• The Mackenzie Valley Highway
• Grays Bay Road and Port
• Arctic Economic and Security Corridor
• Taltson Hydro Expansion
The 800-kilometre Mackenzie Valley Highway will connect Yellowknife to Inuvik, while the
Grays Bay Road and Port/Arctic Economic and Security Corridor will connect Nunavut to the
national highway system via the Northwest Territories and become Canada’s 昀椀rst overland connection to a deepwater port on the Arctic Ocean. The Taltson Hydro Expansion Project will add 60
megawatts to the existing hydro system, doubling the Northwest Territories’ hydro capacity.
After decades of limited and piecemeal investments in Canada’s North and its armed forces,
the path promised by these new plans, supported by our construction industry and others,
o昀昀ers our country security and prosperity.
EDITOR
John Tenpenny
CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER
Corinne Lynds
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Warren Frey
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Connie Vitello
ART DIRECTOR AND SENIOR DESIGNER
Gordon Alexander
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Darcy Holderness, David Jackson,
Glenn Miller, Francis Schiller, Michael Valo
RENEW CANADA ADVISORY BOARD
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Panneton, Jesse Unke, Duncan Williams
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Min Do
CHAIRMAN
Todd Latham
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BUILDING CANADA’S DEFENCE • GOING UNDERGROUND • TOP100 VANCOUVER
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