Canadians want a homegrown defence industry, prioritize domestic companies, new poll finds
Press Release
OTTAWA, ON, May 21, 2026 /CNW/ - Canadians overwhelmingly support investing in domestically owned and controlled defence companies and oppose relying on American companies to build military equipment and technology, according to new public opinion research released today by the Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies (ACDC).
A 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 number supports the Government of Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy to get there, which promises to transform Canada’s defence industry by prioritizing Canadian suppliers.
“The polling makes clear that Canadians understand sovereignty cannot depend on others. Canadians know our history of innovation and industrial leadership once gave us greater control over our own destiny, and there is a growing desire to build that capacity again,” said Eliot Pence, co-chair of the Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies (ACDC).
The research reveals a stark divide over which countries should build Canada’s defence systems. Canadian-owned companies received a net support rating of +74 and Canadian-controlled companies +65, while American defence companies, including U.S. multinationals operating Canadian subsidiaries, scored -19. That sentiment held steady across regions and demographics.
“What we’re seeing is that defence procurement is a Canadian sovereignty issue,” said Paul Ziadé, co-chair of ACDC. “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.”
Pence added that the data is a direct signal to the government on how it spends defence dollars.
“Canadians expect public funds to be used to build innovative Canadian companies that can compete and win globally, not as a grant, not as a subsidiary, but as a customer,” he said.
The motivation behind that support is telling. Canadians ranked “Canada being able to protect its land in the north” as their top defence priority, with 83 per cent calling it important. Strengthening Arctic sovereignty consistently outweighed meeting international defence spending commitments, which 71 per cent considered important.
When presented with potential defence priorities, Canadians backed Arctic security initiatives decisively. Three-quarters (74 per cent) supported purchasing Canadian-made drones and sensors to monitor remote Arctic areas, with support tracking consistently across all regions.
The polling also found that Canadians are confident in domestic capacity. Seventy per cent believe Canadian companies can build defence equipment at the same quality as international competitors.
“Canadians know we can do this. Now they want Ottawa to move at the speed this moment demands to deliver the procurement system promised by the Defence Industrial Strategy. One that builds a defence industry led by Canadian-owned and Canadian-controlled companies,” said Ziadé.
The online survey of 3,032 Canadian adults weighted to be representative of the population was conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights between March 27 and April 8, 2026.
ACDC represents more than 200 Canadian-owned and Canadian-controlled defence companies across aerospace, maritime, land, cyber, and other defence sectors.
Full Pollara results are available upon request.
SOURCE Alliance of Canadian Defence Companies (ACDC)
Media contact: info@alliancecanada.com
I think Canadians are more confident than economic observers give us credit for. The political pundits all seem to be salivating to be the first to see a downturn in Canadian support for Carney’s DIS and defence spending. Because they’ve seen how Canadians have ignored defence in the recent past, they are certain that support for Canada’s sovereignty won’t be sustained, that with Trump gone, we’ll roll back to past behaviour. They want to be the first to say “I told you so!”. If the envisioned energy grid comes to fruition, and the jobs and then the industry and commerce follows as it could, Canada will evolve into that nation our forefathers imagined.
A bit of a self-serving poll from this newly-formed association. As Austin Powers said, "I want a toilet made out of solid gold, but it's just not in the cards, is it?". Most Canadians aren't well-informed enough about our defence industry capabilities to know what is realistic and what is just pie-in-the-sky.