Minister McGuinty says Atlantic Canada can play major role in defence strategy

Federal Defence Minister David McGuinty sits down for an interview with CTV News Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko.

Minister of National Defence Minister David McGuinty says Atlantic Canada can play a major role in the country’s plans to expand its defence capabilities.

McGuinty visited Halifax on Thursday to announce, along with Prime Minister Mark Carney, the federal government is spending $1.2 billion to modernize power and municipal service infrastructure at the CFB Halifax Dockyard and Stadacona.

“We have to get ready for all the investments that will follow in this area,” McGuinty said in an interview with CTV News Atlantic’s Bruce Frisko. “We’re acquiring 12 submarines. We need to make sure we have the ability to receive those subs.”

On Thursday, the federal government revealed it spent more than $60 billion on defence in 2025, which allowed them to reach their NATO goal of spending two per cent of the country’s GDP.

“We’re moving at a speed never before seen,” McGuinty said. “We made a decision a year ago that we had to basically reboot our armed forces.

“This region has a long history with the armed forces. We’re building on that tradition.”

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Along with the CFB Halifax refurbishment, the federal government is spending $82.5 million to buy Halifax Gate in Dartmouth to support Royal Canadian Navy Operations and more than $1 billion on CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.

“We understand the role Atlantic Canada and Halifax can play in the defence industrial strategy, which is basically a new big effort to build on the 600 companies in the defence space and increase those numbers dramatically,” McGuinty said. “We’ve signed dozens of new trade and defence deals.

“We need to deal with the world as it now is. We need to be prepared.”

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With files from CTV News’ Judy Trinh