A new public opinion poll released on May 21 reveals that Canadians overwhelmingly support investing in domestically owned defence companies and oppose relying on American firms to build equipment for the Canadian military.
Poll Findings
The national poll, conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights, found that 82 per cent of Canadians believe Canada should "defend itself without relying too heavily on other countries." The same percentage supports the Canadian government's Defence Industrial Strategy aimed at achieving that goal.
The research was commissioned by the Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies (ACDC), an industry-led trade association representing more than 200 wholly Canadian-owned and Canadian-controlled defence companies across aerospace, maritime, land, cyber, and other defence sectors.
Context of the Poll
The poll comes amid pushback from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump over Canadian efforts to reduce reliance on American-built weapons. While Canada's defence industry includes hundreds of companies, many, such as Lockheed Martin Canada, are subsidiaries of giant American corporations.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the government's defence industrial strategy on Feb. 17, 2026, promising billions of dollars in investments for small- and medium-sized Canadian businesses. Carney has vowed to ensure Canadian firms receive the majority of federal defence contracts, noting that currently up to 75 per cent of Canada's defence capital is used to purchase U.S.-built equipment.
Canadian Sovereignty
Paul Ziade, co-chair of ACDC and CEO of North Vector Dynamics in Calgary, stated: "What we're seeing is that defence procurement is a Canadian sovereignty issue. Whether you're in Atlantic Canada or Alberta, whether you're 25 or 65, Canadians are saying the same thing everywhere. We need to build defence equipment here to ensure Canada is not dependent on foreign suppliers and that taxpayer dollars support skilled jobs and manufacturing across the country."
The online survey of 3,032 Canadian adults was conducted between March 27 and April 8, 2026. American defence firms, including their Canadian subsidiaries, were the least favoured to receive contracts among those polled.
Arctic Sovereignty Priority
Another key finding is that Canadians prioritize protecting Arctic sovereignty over meeting international defence commitments. When presented with potential defence priorities, Arctic security initiatives received overwhelming support, according to ACDC.
Eliot Pence, co-chair of ACDC and founder and CEO of Dominion Dynamics based in Ottawa, previously told the Ottawa Citizen that federal efforts to boost defence spending would be largely irrelevant if they did not lead to Canadian-owned and -controlled capabilities.
