聯邦政府公佈新的加拿大國防工業戰略計劃，致力於重建、重整和再投資加拿大武裝部隊，以應對新出現的挑戰。
聯邦國防部採購國務秘書 Stephen Fuhr在列治文宣布， 加拿大國防投資局批出一份國防合約，予MDA 公司一份價值3200萬加元的合同，用於一個名為“太空監視2號”計劃，提供地面光學觀測能力。
他在作出宣佈之後到本台接受專訪，表示該合約預計每年將創造或支持近80個就業崗位，並在未來六年內每年為加拿大貢獻約900萬元經濟效益。
根據該合約，到2028年，MDA 公司將在亞省、緬省及紐賓士域省建立三個遠端操控望遠鏡站。這些望遠鏡將提供持續及可靠的地面太空監視能力，是加拿大全個廣泛太空監視架構的重要組成部分。
Fuhr 表示太空資產對所有加拿大人至關重要。從銀行業到通訊、導航、農業和氣象監測，我們每天都依賴安全可靠的監視能力。
國防投資局會利用加拿大自身的創新及專業知識，為加拿大武裝部隊提供先進能力，同時支持本國的國防工業，從而推進加拿大國防工業戰略。
加拿大太空科技領域持續強勁增長，預計2023年將為國內生產總值貢獻34億經濟效益。
預計全球太空經濟規模到2040年將達到約2兆元。投資於該領域的自主能力建設，將確保本國企業在未來幾十年內能夠充分受益於有關增長。
另外他被問到未來長期本國軍工方向，他指本國7成的軍工都是依賴美國，相信本國會繼續將本國的採購方向多元化發展，減少對個別一個國家的過度依賴。不過當被問及是否代表會影響到未來F35 的採購計劃，他就表示，這個暫時未有定案，之後將有公佈。
另外他亦被問到總理卡尼出訪中國帶來豐厚成果，但不久前2月時候，本國的情報部門才指中國對加拿大的威脅比俄羅斯更大，兩者如何取得平衡， Fuhr就指他本人沒有審視過該個報告，亦知道本國並不是爭取在所有地方都可以同中國合作，但是本國會盡量在可以合作的地方與中國合作。
The federal government has announced a new Canadian defense industry strategic plan aimed at rebuilding, restructuring, and reinvesting in the Canadian Armed Forces to address emerging challenges.
Stephen Fuhr, State Secretary for Defence Procurement, announced in Richmond that the Defence Investment Agency of Canada has awarded a $32 million defense contract to MDA for a program called “Space Surveillance 2,” providing ground-based optical observation capabilities.
In an interview following the announcement, he stated that the contract is expected to create or support nearly 80 jobs annually and contribute approximately $9 million in economic benefits to Canada annually over the next six years.
Under the contract, by 2028, MDA will establish three remotely operated telescope stations in Alberta, Manitoba, and New Brunswick. These telescopes will provide continuous and reliable ground-based space surveillance capabilities, forming a crucial component of Canada’s comprehensive space surveillance architecture.
Fuhr stated that space assets are vital to all Canadians. From banking to communications, navigation, agriculture, and weather monitoring, we rely on secure and reliable surveillance capabilities every day.
The Defence Investment Agency will leverage Canada’s own innovation and expertise to provide advanced capabilities to the Canadian Armed Forces while supporting the domestic defense industry, thereby advancing Canada’s defense industry strategy.
Canada’s space technology sector continues its strong growth, projected to contribute $3.4 billion to GDP in 2023.
The global space economy is projected to reach approximately $2 trillion by 2040. Investing in self-sufficiency in this field will ensure that Canadian companies can fully benefit from this growth for decades to come.
When asked about the long-term direction of Canada’s defense industry, he pointed out that Canada relies on the United States for 70% of its defense production and believes that Canada will continue to diversify its procurement efforts, reducing over-reliance on any single country. However, when asked if this would affect future F-35 procurement plans, he stated that nothing is finalized yet and an announcement will be made later.
He was also asked how Canada could strike a balance between the fruitful results of Prime Minister Carney’s visit to China and the recent intelligence report in February that China posed a greater threat to Canada than Russia. Fuhr replied that he had not reviewed the report and knew that Canada was not trying to cooperate with China in every way, but that Canada would try to cooperate with China in areas where possible.
