Defence Minister David McGuinty and International Trade Minister Maninder Sidhu led Ottawa’s presence at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, where Canada was designated the 2026 lead nation. The government said its mission involved more than 200 organisations and nearly 500 delegates; its post-visit tally listed 158 companies and 29 government organisations.
McGuinty and Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz renewed a bilateral Defence Cooperation Agreement during the exhibition. Ottawa said the framework will support closer work on defence industry and capability development, military cooperation, training and shared strategic priorities.
The Kielce event gives Canadian manufacturers unusual visibility at a time when Ottawa is trying to diversify an industry long tied closely to the United States. Government industry data show Canada’s defence exports approached C$8 billion in 2024, with 63% going to the United States. Europe excluding Britain accounted for 17%, and its increased share helped drive export growth.
That imbalance helps explain why Poland and the wider European market have become more important to Ottawa. Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy, launched this year, explicitly calls for new defence-industrial relationships beyond the United States, with an initial focus on Europe, Britain and the Indo-Pacific. The government aims to increase defence exports by 50% and is adding trade commissioners in Britain and key European Union markets.
The shift is being reinforced by Canada’s participation in the European Union’s Security Action for Europe programme, known as SAFE. The EU Council formally concluded Canada’s participation agreement in June, making it the first non-European country admitted to the instrument. SAFE provides up to €150 billion in loans to EU member states for joint defence procurement and allows qualifying Canadian companies and products to participate under agreed sourcing rules.
For Canadian suppliers, that access comes as European governments raise military spending, replenish stocks depleted by support for Ukraine and seek more resilient supply chains. Poland is among the continent’s most active buyers. Its government is expanding domestic production while pursuing joint ventures, technology transfers and partnerships intended to reduce dependence on distant suppliers.
Ottawa’s challenge is converting political access into contracts. Canadian defence businesses have spent decades operating within a North American industrial ecosystem shaped by integrated supply chains, US procurement requirements and proximity to the world’s largest military customer. Moving deeper into Europe means dealing with national procurement systems, local-content expectations, certification rules and competition from established European manufacturers.
Canada is therefore presenting itself less as an outside exporter than as a potential production and technology partner. Its strategy favours government-to-government arrangements, joint development and participation in allied supply chains, while seeking stronger Canadian control over intellectual property and domestic production capacity.
The MSPO mission included companies working across aerospace, cybersecurity, military vehicles, communications, surveillance and advanced technologies. Canadian officials arranged business-to-business and business-to-government meetings aimed at matching suppliers with Polish and regional procurement needs. Ottawa said companies reached new commercial agreements during the fair, though it did not publish a consolidated value for those deals.
Canada’s defence sector comprises more than 585 firms nationwide, according to federal data, but many are small or medium-sized businesses that lack the scale of major US and European contractors. Ottawa’s export strategy is intended to give those companies more government support overseas, including dedicated teams pursuing high-value contracts and stronger representation at international defence exhibitions and tenders.
McGuinty said Canada’s lead-nation status had opened new doors for industry and strengthened cooperation with Poland. Sidhu said the defence sector contributes more than C$11 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product and supports about 82,000 jobs, arguing that stronger European trade links can create export opportunities while making allied supply chains more resilient.
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