Yes, certainly there are things we can put in place, and I will speak here from the military procurement standpoint.
However, to understand those mechanisms, I would have to explain the difference between what our allies do and what we do in Canada. It is a very important distinction. We have to understand the key motivation of our allies, so if you would allow me, I will share some aspects of it with you.
As I occupied the position of air adviser at the Canadian High Commission in London between 2013 and 2017 I witnessed first-hand the way to go about it. This is about the domain of defence security, but I want to make it clear that the message we convey is not about defence. It is about prosperity and the way in which the U.K. leverages public procurement to create wealth.
I also wish to underscore that the monologue we share with you is not unique to the U.K. In Europe and elsewhere, defence and security is a means to an end and the reason is simple.
Defence is the largest user of public funds, and therefore it is a gold mine when it comes to leveraging the aerospace sector. I think that Christyn Cianfarani made that very clear earlier. Our allies have realized that, and they are capitalizing on this.
British defence and security policy is the result of a whole-of-government effort with the Department for International Trade occupying a place of choice. In Canada, similar responsibilities are split between ISED and Global Affairs Canada.
The key differentiator between our approach to defence policy and the British approach—and that of most European countries—is that industry is included in the definition of defence policy from the outset. By the time the British defence and security policy is stable, most of the companies selected to deliver the products and services have already been identified as part a defence industrial strategy.
In 2017, 56% of the U.K. procurements were sole-sourced with a large majority awarded to British industry. In their defence policy they have a stated objective of sole-sourcing a minimum of 50% of their defence procurement.