N.B. releases defence strategy in hopes of attracting federal funding

The provincial government has released a defense strategic framework it hopes will attract federal spending to the region. The plan is aimed at growing the sector's share of provincial GDP from $762 million to $1 billion by 2030. It focuses on four pillars, including the province's existing defense and cybersecurity industries, critical mineral extraction, port expansions, and supporting the expansion of Base Gagetown and the surrounding community of Boromakto. However, it doesn't set out specific actions other than the creation of a defense task force and ongoing engagement with the defense sector and First Nations. Premier Susan Holt says funding for the plan will come from existing economic development and training programs. And she acknowledged that the goal is to attract additional federal defense spending. We see significant investment from the federal government to the scale that we haven't seen before and New Brunswick has every reason to earn an outsized share of that pie because of our history, because of our industrial assets, because of our infrastructure, all of which supports leadership in the defense space.