Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon says federal strategy gets “two thumbs up” from B.C.

VICTORIA — British Columbia Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon says he will be meeting with federal Defence Minister David McGuinty to discuss shipbuilding in B.C. among other possibilities following the release of Canada’s defence industrial strategy.

Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled Canada’s new plan this week worth $6.6 billion to boost defence spending, and Kahlon says his government sees “strong opportunities” flowing from the plan.

B.C. released its own strategy last year to benefit from Canada’s promise to increase military spending to five per cent of GDP in the next decade, and Kahlon says he gives the federal strategy “two thumbs up” because it aligns with his government’s plans.

The provincial government is using former national defence minister Harjit Sajjan as an unpaid consultant to help B.C. secure additional projects, including 35 per cent of federal defence vessel contracts in the next decade.

The minister says he will also raise B.C.’s bid to host a new international bank to finance military projects by democratic nations, with Premier David Eby saying that Vancouver is the “strategic choice” to host the bank.

Kahlon’s comments came during an unrelated news conference, where he previewed government legislation to break down interprovincial trade tabled later in the legislature.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 18, 2026.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press