As a first step in delivering on a Budget 2013 promise to expedite analysis of the Jenkins’ report, Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, has hosted workshops in Montreal and Toronto with the defence industry to discuss ways to better leverage military procurement.
The Jenkins’ report, delivered to the government earlier this year by Open Text CEO Tom Jenkins, recommended leveraging defence procurement through what it called key industrial capabilities. Last week in Toronto, Ambrose met with industry representatives to develop a series of interim key industrial capabilities to help guide upcoming defence procurement projects.
“Our government will continue to leverage military procurement, in consultation with industry, to maximize job creation, support Canadian manufacturing capabilities and innovation, and bolster economic growth in Canada,” she said in a press release. According to a KPMG study conducted for CADSI, every billion dollars in defence and security spending creates or sustains approximately 18,000 jobs and creates $710 million in GDP.
