New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt has released a policy framework to grow the province’s military sector. “We’re here because the world is changing,” said Holt on Monday at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown. “We have what it takes to play an outsized role in the future of Canada’s defence.” Holt said Ottawa’s commitment to spend $81.8 billion over five years to modernize the Canadian Armed Forces presented a “generational opportunity” for New Brunswick. Defence Ready: New Brunswick’s Defence Growth Framework includes four areas of focus: Holt has pitched the province’s military sector to grow the province’s economy by 10 per cent by 2030. New Brunswick’s real GDP for defence services was $762 million last year. Holt said the goal was to increase the sector’s GDP to $1 billion by 2030. “The other target is jobs in the defence sector,” said Holt. “New Brunswick is already the second highest defence jobs per capita place in the country. We want to be first.” There was no new money attached to the framework’s release on Monday. Holt said funding would be coming from “pockets of money that already exist,” giving an example of last month’s announcement of $463 million in provincial and federal funding to improve Port Saint John. Last month, $16.2 million in federal, provincial and municipal funding was announced for a new wastewater treatment facility in Oromocto to support growth at CFB Gagetown, the country’s second largest military base. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
