On March 16, 2026, National Defence Minister David McGuinty announced a landmark 10-year, $200-million agreement with Maritime Launch Services to lease a dedicated launch pad at Spaceport Nova Scotia and made three investments totalling $24.9 million to kickstart the development of launch vehicles from three companies as part of the $105 million “Launch the North” IDEaS challenge.
The Minister also announced Canada’s role on the global stage through its formal entry into the NATO STARLIFT initiative, a “plug-and-play” launch network designed for rapid alliance response.
Transcript: Department of National Defence Space Capability Announcement
Location: David Florida Lab, an MDA Space facility, Kanata, Ontario
Date: March 16, 2026
Speakers:
- Jenna Sudds, MP for Kanata-Carleton & Parliamentary Secretary
- The Hon. David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence
- Brian Gallant, CEO of Space Canada
(The transcript has been edited for clarity)
Jenna Sudds: Good morning, everyone. My name is Jenna Sudds, and I have the honor of being the Member of Parliament for Kanata-Carleton, as well as the Parliamentary Secretary for Government Transformation, Public Works, and Procurement, supporting the Secretary of State for Defence Procurement.
It is a pleasure to welcome you all here to my riding. Before we begin, I want to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people—Indigenous peoples who have cared for these lands and waters since time immemorial. We are grateful for their stewardship and committed to respectful partnership.
I want to thank our hosts, Ian McLeod and the entire MDA Space team, for having us here today and giving us such a fascinating tour earlier this morning. I am thrilled to be joined by my colleagues Marie-France Lalonde, Yasir Naqvi, and Michael MacAulay, and of course, the Minister of National Defence, David McGuinty.
I also want to recognize our guests: The Honourable Colton LeBlanc, Nova Scotia Minister of Growth and Development; The Honourable Greg Morrow, Nova Scotia Minister of Agriculture; Major General Jeff Smyth; Stephen Matier, CEO of Maritime Launch Services; Hugh Kolias, CEO of Canada Rocket Company; Bachar Elzein, CEO of Reaction Dynamics; Rahul Goel, CEO of NordSpace; and Brian Gallant, CEO of Space Canada.
For decades, Canada has been a major player in space—robotics, medicines, and the iconic Canadarm. For more than 50 years, you have helped build technologies that power our global telecommunications and make space exploration possible. As we build up Canada’s sovereign space capabilities, powered by our new Defence Industrial Strategy, we will once again look to you—Canada’s best and brightest—to deliver the capabilities we need to keep moving forward and upward.
Our investment in space is a critical component of the Government of Canada’s efforts to modernize the Canadian Armed Forces. Every day the world is changing, and non-traditional domains like space are integral to our security. That is what today’s announcement is all about. It is now my pleasure to introduce the Minister of National Defence, David McGuinty.
Minister David McGuinty: Good morning, everyone. Bonjour. It is a great honor to join you at this world-class facility. Thank you, Ian, and the MDA Space team.
Over the weekend, the Prime Minister and I were in Norway to view Operation Cold Response, a NATO exercise in the Arctic. While there, Canada and Norway signed a Letter of Intent to deepen our cooperation in the space domain. Strengthening our cooperation ensures we are prepared for a future that is coming at us very quickly.
Today, space is no longer the benign environment we once hoped it would be. It is no longer an “emerging” domain; it has emerged. Our adversaries are developing technologies to disrupt or destroy satellites, leveraging AI and quantum to threaten the technology that underpins our economy and security. That is why Canada recognizes space as an operational domain right alongside sea, land, air, and cyber.
To have a fully interconnected system—from Yellowknife to Trenton, from ships at sea to fighter jets in the air—Canada needs its own space capability. It is not just satellites that are critical; it is access to space itself.
I am thrilled to announce that the Department of National Defence has signed a 10-year, $200-million agreement with Maritime Launch Services as part of Canada’s Sovereign Launch Program. This agreement supports the construction of a launchpad for use by the CAF and the wider Government of Canada at a site near Canso, Nova Scotia.
Under this agreement, Maritime Launch Services must spend 90% of that $200 million here in Canada, meaning $180 million is going directly back to Canadian businesses.
Minister David McGuinty: As we prepare for this new era, I am pleased to announce the three winners of the first phase of our “Launch the North” contest through the IDEaS program. These companies are developing Canadian-designed vehicles to launch Canadian payloads from Canadian soil:
- Nordspace (Markham, Ontario)
- Canada Rocket Company (Toronto, Ontario)
- Reaction Dynamics (Montreal, Quebec)
Each will receive $8.3 million to turn their ideas into working prototypes for testing in Phase Two. By 2040, the global space economy is expected to reach $2 trillion. Investing in sovereign launch today benefits our industry for generations.
Furthermore, Canada intends to become a full member of NATO STARLIFT. This initiative bolsters a network of launch sites across the alliance, allowing NATO members to deploy satellites at a moment’s notice. Soon, they will be able to do this from Canada.
Brian Gallant (CEO, Space Canada): Defence, sovereignty, and economic security—these are the promises of investing in Canada’s space-based capabilities. To seize this opportunity, Canada must sustain an end-to-end space sector, including the certainty of launching from Canadian soil.
I am “over the moon” to be here—pun intended—to celebrate this milestone. We must also recognize CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who in two weeks, on April 1st, will join the Artemis mission to go around the moon, becoming the first non-American to leave Earth’s orbit. Space is strategically vital, and these investments enable our industrial base to protect both our economic and national security interests.