Secretary, one of the Defence Investment Agency's core mandates is to bring together experts in operations, industry engagement and project management so that we can deliver procurement results that align with strategic objectives.
I will tell you that, as MP for Sudbury, in northern Ontario, we have institutions like NORCAT, Laurentian University, CEMI and MIRARCO that are already developing technologies like automation, remote operations, underground communications and autonomous systems, which overlap with defence priorities for situational awareness, mobility and resilience in changing environments.
How will this new agency ensure that these types of regional innovation ecosystems are systematically connected to defence procurement planning so that proven Canadian expertise from places like Sudbury can directly inform and supply the technologies being prioritized for Canada's future defence capabilities?