Defence first: local exhibitors at CANSEC sensing renewed buzz around security sector

May 29, 2025

While the show has always been a big deal for exhibitors, there’s a sense that the buzz around CANSEC might be just a little louder this year.

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Scanning the crowd at Canada’s largest defence industry trade show, Andrew Woollard sounded like a man who realizes the next few years could mark a major inflection point for his business. “With what’s going on recently, security has become very important,” Woollard, the president of Kanata-based J-Squared Technologies, said Wednesday morning as he watched delegates mill about the jam-packed hallways of the EY Centre during the latest edition of CANSEC. “Especially in Canada, I think we’re seeing a trend toward wanting to have a Canadian-based supply chain.” J-Squared Technologies is one of nearly 300 exhibitors at CANSEC, which was first held in 1998 and has become an essential stop on the calendar for defence and security companies looking to sell weapons, munitions and other components to the federal government and other military contractors. While the show has always been a big deal for exhibitors, there’s a sense that the buzz around CANSEC might be just a little louder this year. There are 285 companies showcasing their wares at the two-event event, up from 265 a year ago. In total, more than 12,000 attendees were expected to make their way to the EY Centre to check out the latest in military equipment and technology and listen to a star-studded list of keynote speakers that included new Defence Minister David McGuinty and former U.S. secretary of state Mike Pompeo. The rise in the number of firms and attendees at CANSEC doesn’t surprise industry leaders like Woollard. With governments around the world pledging to boost military spending amid rising geopolitical instability, conflicts in the Ukraine and Middle East still raging, and emerging technologies such as drones becoming mainstream, Woollard said it just makes sense that his sector is seeing a burst of activity. “CANSEC is as busy as it’s been in the last few years,” he said during a break from speaking to delegates. “I definitely think there’s an uptick … in the market right now. A lot of (military technology) programs historically can be five, 10, 15 years to go from inception to deployment. “And I think specifically in the Ukraine war what you’re seeing is a lot of quick cycles from development into the field. I think what you’re going to see over the next five years is programs accelerate … smaller, drone-style things that can be done quickly and deployed.” At J-Squared, business is indeed booming. The 35-year-old firm specializes in “ruggedized hardware” designed to protect vital components such as laptops and servers from being damaged during military operations. Headquartered in Kanata, the 100-person company also has facilities in the Greater Toronto Area and the Halifax region, serving customers ranging from the Canadian Armed Forces to the world’s biggest defence equipment manufacturers. While most of its products are now assembled in the GTA, J-Squared is building another manufacturing plant next to its head office on Carling Avenue to keep up with surging demand. The facility, which will feature more than 20,000 square feet of production space, is expected to be completed by early 2026. J-Squared has already been hiring at a brisk pace in recent years, adding between five and 15 new people every quarter, and Woollard expects to ramp up hiring even further once the new plant is operational. He said he’s “very optimistic” about his business’s future, given the election of a new government on Parliament Hill that appears to be ready to ramp up military spending and do more to boost homegrown suppliers like J-Squared. Prime Minister Mark Carney pledged during the election campaign to streamline military purchases, boost domestic research on advanced military technology and meet the NATO defence spending target of two per cent of the gross domestic product by 2030. In his address to CANSEC delegates on Wednesday morning, McGuinty said the new Liberal government “is willing to accelerate” its plans to triple Canada’s defence spending from 2014 levels within five years. That kind of talk from senior government leaders is exactly what entrepreneurs like Woollard have been waiting to hear. “I think it’s very important (that) Canada reshores its supply chains and is able to produce more in-house,” he said. “Hopefully over the next four years, we see some of those things get accelerated.”

Cutting red tape

Down the aisle, PureLogic IT Solutions founder Coreen Bouchard said she’s also hoping the federal government’s stated desire to cut red tape in the military procurement process bears fruit. Founded in 2008 in Bouchard’s basement, PureLogic IT now employs about 60 people at offices in Kanata and Halifax. The company sells a range of products and services to defence and security customers, including cybersecurity tools as well as software and hardware for data centres and deployable kits that are taken into active combat zones. Bouchard, who also helps clients navigate the defence procurement process, said she wants to see changes that level the playing field for domestic suppliers. “We have seen lots of competition throughout the U.S. and everything is fair,” she explained. “But we are seeing contracts being awarded directly to U.S. companies that have very little footprint here in Canada. So unfortunately, until (procurement) rules are changed, I think we’re going to (keep seeing) that.” Charles Barlow, the co-founder and CEO of Ottawa-based Robotics Centre, also welcomes the apparent shift to a more “made-in-Canada” defence procurement strategy. “I think one thing the Ukrainian war has shown people is that they need to be able to produce their own stuff for their own needs,” said Barlow, whose 30-person company supplies drones and other military technology through partnerships with a variety of manufacturers. “If you rely on overseas suppliers, you can end up in real trouble. I’m pleased people are generally understanding that's the situation now. We need … to be able to build this stuff ourselves.” Noting that thousands of drones are being deployed every day in the Ukraine conflict, Barlow said there’s a huge opportunity for companies with expertise in unmanned vehicles and other emerging technologies to make their mark. “You’re talking about millions (of drones) a year,” he explained. “The scale of the change is phenomenal.” But when asked if Canadian manufacturers are ready to capitalize on the rise of such cutting-edge equipment, Barlow said he’s not sure. “We have a lot of technology, we have a lot of people who understand what’s going on,” he said. “On the other hand, we’ve had a very small defence budget for a long time. If you are a Polish company or a French company or a British company or an American company, you have this huge advantage because your own defence department buys a lot of kit. In Canada, that just hasn’t been the case.”