B.C. drafts former federal minister Sajjan as Ottawa fires up military spending

Former federal minister Harjit Sajjan attends an announcement in Vancouver, B.C., on Wednesday, July 3, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

VICTORIA — The British Columbia government has recruited former national defence minister Harjit Sajjan to help the province secure some of the billions the federal government will spend to boost its military commitment.

Sajjan, a former Vancouver member of Parliament, served as the defence minister between 2015 and 2021, and Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon said he has agreed to advise the provincial government for free.

Kahlon said B.C. has not asked Sajjan to lobby the federal government on its behalf.

“We have relationships over there. What we need from him, and what he has agreed to do, is give us advice on where the opportunities will be, how we can position our businesses, our communities.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has promised NATO that Canada would increase military spending to five per cent of GDP in the next decade, with 3.5 per cent going toward traditional military hardware and the rest on infrastructure.

Kahlon said Canada’s military commitments mean billions of additional spending per year, starting with $9 billion this year based on available figures.

He said B.C. plans to release its Sovereignty and National Defence Strategy by the end of this month to secure a share of the funding.

Kahlon said many sectors could be involved, including aerospace and marine.

“We are going to have to look at opportunities around the expansion potentially of naval bases and military bases, and a whole host of dual-use technologies, which presents lots of opportunities for British Columbia,” Kahlon said in an interview.

Kahlon said dual-use groups that could benefit include the life-sciences sector among other technologies.

“We have a whole host of AI companies that are forming in a very quick way,” he said. “We have some of the leaders in the world around quantum computing here in British Columbia.”

He said part of his work in the next month is to sit down with different parts of the business community, academic institutions and other ministries to look for those opportunities.

B.C.’s push for federal defence dollars comes amid questions about capacities in industries like the maritime sector.

Kahlon said government is planning to create working groups with shipbuilders like Seaspan based in North Vancouver to put together an action plan.

“It’s going to require investments,” he said.

Kahlon said it is too early to say which federal military bases could undergo expansion.

“Part of that discussion we will be having with stakeholders, and having (Sajjan’s) advice there would be helpful, given that he was grappling with these challenges.”

Kahlon acknowledged that other provinces will also be competing for the federal dollars.

“We may have a leg up on some things, and other jurisdictions may have a leg up on others,” Kahlon said.

“Part of our work will be identifying where the opportunities are for British Columbia, given the expertise and the potential capacity that we have.”

He acknowledged B.C. won’t be able to compete in all areas.

“That’s OK,” Kahlon said. “But we want to be making sure that we’re maximizing the employment opportunities, where those opportunities present.”

Dave Hargreaves, Seaspan’s senior vice-president of strategy, business development and communications, said in a written statement that his company supports efforts to grow a domestic manufacturing industrial base.

“We are proud to be contributing to a strong and resilient Canada, and are supportive of Canada’s desire to grow the Canadian defence industry and to grow, other nation-defining industries across the country.”

This report by Wolfgang Depner of The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2025.