REGINA — The Government of Saskatchewan hosted the 2026 Saskatchewan Aerospace and Defence Forum in Saskatoon Wednesday, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership, Prairies Economic Development Canada, and the Saskatchewan Aviation Council.
The aim of the event was to build connections between key national and international entities in the defence sector, and Saskatchewan companies looking to support the industry.
"Saskatchewan's Aerospace and Defence Forum connects the province's manufacturing companies to the global defence sector, creating jobs and opportunities in this important industry," Trade and Export Development Minister Warren Kaeding said. "Manufacturers in our province are at the forefront of innovative and cutting-edge solutions that international prime defence contractors are in need of."
This year's event was attended by some of the most prominent companies in the global defence industry, including Raytheon, SkyAlyne, CAE, and General Dynamics Land Systems. Federal defence institutions that participated included the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Armed Forces.
"Calian is pleased to be part of the Saskatchewan Aerospace & Defence Forum, an important event that brings together multiple orders of government, members of the CAF, industry associations and leaders in the Saskatchewan defence ecosystem," Calian Vice President of Defence Russ Beaudin said. "Calian is ready to play our part. We recently launched Calian VENTURES where we are orchestrating $100 million in capital available for small-medium businesses (SMBs) to connect their leading-edge capabilities within the broader defence System of Systems. We are also playing the role of integrator for C5ISRT in the Canadian defence ecosystem, and SMBs are central to that effort. We are ideally positioned to build solutions in Canada, and partner with strong companies and key innovators to deliver solutions for our armed forces."
Last month, Canada announced its new Defence Industrial Strategy in which the federal government commits to investing $470 billion in the country's defence sector by 2035, with a further goal of increasing defence contracts awarded to Canadian firms to 70 per cent. This pledge will benefit Saskatchewan companies that provide goods and services to the sector by attracting new investment to the province's expanding defence ecosystem.
Saskatchewan has a well-developed advanced manufacturing industry that is already producing items used in the defence sector. Manufacturing is an important economic contributor for the province, with over 29,000 people employed in the industry in 2025. Capital investment in Saskatchewan's manufacturing sector reached $1 billion in 2025, an 18.3 per cent increase from 2024, while manufacturing sales in the province last year totaled $20.8 billion.
For more information visit InvestSK.ca.
