Dual-use technologies are increasingly central to global economic resilience, innovation strategies and national defence. Canada’s current trajectory risks surrendering strategic and economic benefits if it does not prioritize investment in domestic companies that develop and commercialize dual-use technologies. Without a shift in approach, increased defence spending will disproportionately benefit foreign firms, weakening Canada’s ability to build sovereign capacity. Structural reforms are urgently needed to prioritize Canadian innovators in defence procurement; expand the freedom to operate for domestic firms with intellectual property frameworks that retain ownership and control of key dual-use technologies; and build sovereign compute capacity and infrastructure to secure Canadian data and algorithms. Continued neglect of these areas will erode Canadian sovereignty and deepen economic dependence on countries that dominate dual-use technology.
