Canada has committed to investing 5% of GDP in defence and security by 2035 - the largest defence transformation in generations. How those hundreds of billions get spent will determine whether we build sovereign capability or remain dependent on foreign supply chains.
Canadian deep tech companies are already delivering the solutions defence needs: quantum-secure communications, AI-enabled threat detection, advanced sensors for Arctic operations, autonomous systems for persistent surveillance, and advanced materials engineering that turns Canadian critical minerals into batteries, sensors, and components for defence systems.
The question isn't whether these technologies exist. It's whether Canada will deploy them.
Canada's committing to defence spending of 5% of GDP by 2035 - the largest defence investment in generations. That means modernizing NORAD for Arctic operations, securing critical infrastructure, and building interoperable systems with allied nations across the Indo-Pacific. This isn't aspirational. It's operational reality.
Here's what that means on the ground: communications that can't be intercepted, AI that processes threat data faster than any analyst, materials that work at -50°C when everything else quits, autonomous systems running surveillance where we can't put people. This is what modern defence looks like. And none of it works without deep tech.
We can build this capability in Canada or we can import it and stay dependent. That's the choice.
Canada's 5% GDP defence commitment requires sovereign capabilities that can't be bought off-the-shelf. Deep Tech Canada members and partners are building them.
Strategic Outcome
What Success Looks Like
How Canadian Deep Tech Delivers
Strategic Outcome
Arctic Control
What Success Looks Like
Canada independently monitors and responds to threats across the Arctic without relying on allied or commercial systems
How Canadian Deep Tech Delivers
Autonomous surveillance platforms, extreme-cold sensors, AI threat detection operating 24/7 in conditions where foreign systems fail
Strategic Outcome
Communications Sovereignty
What Success Looks Like
Canadian military and government communications cannot be intercepted or compromised
How Canadian Deep Tech Delivers
Quantum encryption networks built and controlled in Canada, unhackable by current or future computing threats
Strategic Outcome
Cyber Dominance
What Success Looks Like
Canada detects and neutralizes cyber threats to critical infrastructure before they cause damage
How Canadian Deep Tech Delivers
AI systems that identify attack patterns in real-time, automated response protocols, resilient network architecture
Strategic Outcome
Supply Chain Control
What Success Looks Like
Defence systems don't depend on foreign suppliers for critical components or materials
How Canadian Deep Tech Delivers
Canadian critical minerals processed into batteries, alloys, sensors, and components by Canadian companies
Strategic Outcome
Infrastructure Resilience
What Success Looks Like
Telecommunications, transportation, and emergency systems continue operating during attacks or disasters
How Canadian Deep Tech Delivers
Dual-use technologies securing ports, airports, and networks for both defence and civilian continuity
Strategic Outcome
Operational Independence
What Success Looks Like
Forward bases and remote operations sustain themselves without vulnerable supply chains
How Canadian Deep Tech Delivers
Energy systems for extreme environments, food production capabilities, autonomous resupply technologies
Canada's defence transformation can't happen through procurement alone. It requires funding the infrastructure that turns innovation into operational capability: pilot programs that validate technologies for defence applications, trade missions that position Canadian solutions in allied markets, training programs that build the workforce defence industries need, and demonstration projects that prove Canadian deep tech works in real-world conditions.
Deep Tech Canada connects investment to impact - whether you're a government agency funding national priorities, an investor seeking defence-tech opportunities, or a company ready to scale your solutions for defence markets.
Deep Tech Canada is a community where members can collaborate, share knowledge, and drive innovation across multiple sectors. By joining Deep Tech Canada, members can take advantage of opportunities to participate in trade missions, workshops, training, and gain access to a global network of contacts, all with the goal of accelerating the commercialization of cutting-edge technologies.
Deep Tech Canada acknowledges that Indigenous Peoples have been and continue to be the traditional guardians of this land we call Canada, where we live and work.