Bombardier CEO eager to grow defence segment amid military spending pledge

A Bombardier plant is seen in Montreal on Friday, June 5, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

TORONTO — Bombardier Inc.’s CEO sees opportunities from government procurement for Canada’s military, as the Montreal-based industrial firm positions itself more toward the defence side of its portfolio.

Speaking at the Canadian Club in Toronto today, Éric Martel says he thinks Bombardier will continue to be known for its business jets, but that Bombardier Defence, established in 2022, is likely to make up a larger portion of the firm’s total sales over the next decade.

While business jets account for about three-quarters of Bombardier’s overall sales currently, Martel says he thinks services and defence can grow to account for roughly half of sales combined.

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Martel says there will be capabilities needed to “protect our country” in the future, noting Canada could become a larger player in the global defence industry by developing products and later exporting them to other nations, similar to what the U.S. has been doing for years.

However, he says Canada’s government procurement practice “needs to evolve.”

He highlighted a change of tone in Ottawa over the last few months since Prime Minister Mark Carney took office that he says is promising.

“I’ve been to Ottawa a few times since the election. I clearly feel right now that there is one message, a unanimous way to go and think about things and get a bit of speed in the system. And I think the will is there,” Martel said.

“I know they’re talking about developing different procurement activities, especially for the military. So we’ll see if that speeds things up, but clearly the willingness is there and we can feel it.”

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In June, Canada and its NATO allies agreed at their annual summit on Wednesday to substantially hike their defence spending target to five per cent of annual GDP by 2035, Carney said. Carney has said the new NATO agreement will see Canada’s annual defence budget increase to roughly $150 billion.

Bombardier sees this as an opportunity.

“I wouldn’t be surprised in 10 years from now if we sit here saying that Bombardier is maybe as big in defence and services as the rest of the company, or maybe even defence being bigger than the rest of the company,” Martel said.

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Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2025.