New Brunswick’s provincial government has laid out a new strategy on how it aims to become a bigger player in Canada’s defence sector.
Premier Susan Holt was on hand at CFB Gagetown Monday to release Defence Ready: New Brunswick’s Defence Growth Framework.
The framework outlines the province’s role as Canada invests in modernizing its armed forces.
Holt said the plan also includes creating jobs and growing the provincial economy by 10 per cent by 2030.
“There are two targets attached to this strategy: one is growing our GDP from the sector, you heard the minister mention it’s $762 million today. We want to get that up to a billion dollars,” she said.
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According to the report, New Brunswick has the second highest military employment per capita in Canada, and the largest military training facility in Eastern Canada.
The strategy consists of four pillars: industry and investment; technology and innovation; infrastructure and resources; and base and community growth.
“We know what we do really well: land systems, advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity. We know that we have assets like our minerals and our ports that are critical,” said Holt.
She added that supporting the growth of CFB Gagetown in Oromocto, N.B. will be paramount.
“We made, in September, an announcement about investing in wastewater treatment infrastructure for all of Oromocto because the anticipated growth of both civilians and base members is expected to exceed 2,000 people,” she added.
Economic Development Minister Luke Randall told reporters the province will continue working with a task force to look for opportunities to grow the sector.
“Bring together stakeholders to help identify opportunities, but also to help plug companies in to the larger defence framework,” he said.
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