Responding to profound shifts in the global geopolitical landscape, the Canadian government recently allocated nearly $82 billion over five years for defence and security – the largest defence investment in decades. Longer term, the government has pledged to increase defence spending to five per cent of gross domestic product by 2034, or $150 billion annually.
Much of that investment will go to recruiting and retaining Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members and to purchasing equipment, including aircraft, submarines, and combat vehicles.
But as much as $100 billion is also required for essential infrastructure upgrades, including the Department of National Defence (DND) land-based test facility in Nova Scotia, a PCL project.
Canada faces real challenges in meeting these ambitious goals, but it can be done with the right passion, planning, and partnerships.
Canada’s largest general contractor ready to lead
So, what does it take to build Canada’s most complex defence infrastructure on time, on budget, and without compromising security?
What kind of partner can navigate high-stakes environments, integrate cutting-edge technologies, and still respect every public dollar?
According to David Hudock, PCL Construction’s national director of defence and federal government relations, the answer is clear: “PCL is committed to serving with integrity, transparency, and collaboration. When the stakes are high, Canadians deserve partners who are ready to lead with strength and heart.”
As Canada’s largest general contractor, PCL provides the integrated expertise of dedicated community and nation builders to every project. The company uses lean methods, advanced technology, and collaboration to complete projects of all types and scale, including complex, mission-critical public sector facilities such as hospitals, airports, data centres, water and wastewater treatment facilities, transit, and transportation infrastructure.
A family legacy company founded in Saskatchewan and now headquartered in Edmonton, PCL has a long and proud history of supporting national defence that dates back to the interwar period of the 1920s and ‘30s.
Over the past 25 years, PCL has worked on a diverse portfolio of projects for or in support of DND, the CAF, Defence Construction Canada (DCD), and the Government of Canada, including the Communications Security Establishment project in Ottawa. This was a Canadian first, combining high-security infrastructure with LEED Gold sustainability.
Additional defence-related PCL projects include the CFB Halifax’s Syncrolift submarine facility and the Strategic Tanker Base in Trenton, Ontario.
PCL has extensive experience with collaborative project management approaches that achieve optimal results. These include the modified design-build method, used on many military projects, and the integrated project delivery method – recently used to complete new facilities for the Royal Canadian Dragoons.
With a mobile workforce of 5,000-plus personnel, PCL has completed numerous challenging projects in the north and other remote areas where supply chains are inconsistent.
“As global challenges grow more complex, PCL’s employee-owned culture of service is focused on what matters most: supporting Canada’s defence and security priorities from coast to coast to coast,” says Hudock. “And we’ll do it with integrity, accountability, and the shared purpose of building a better future, together.”
This article first appeared in the Executive Report on Defence and Security in the April Magazine. That publication is available in it’s digital format below: