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Canada seeks a rapid expansion of defense and industrial ties with Türkiye as Ottawa looks to build trusted middle-power partnerships amid shifting global security dynamics. Canadian Secretary of State for Defense Procurement Stephen Fuhr shared this initiative with Defense News during his first-ever visit to Türkiye at SAHA Expo 2026.
"The middle powers have to come together in a way they didn't before," Fuhr told Defense News correspondent Cem Devrim Yaylali.
"Individually we're just not big enough, but collectively we are," he added.
He described Ankara as a "trusted partner" and "valuable ally," singling out Turkish advances in drones, counter-drone systems, ammunition production and autonomous technologies as priority areas for cooperation.
Fuhr outlined Ottawa's defense industrial strategy to Defense News as "build, partner, buy", with urgency determining which path is taken.
"If it's urgent, we'll probably have to go and buy it. If it's something that can be waited, we'll have to co-develop it," he noted.
He stressed that Ottawa seeks partnerships that stimulate Canadian industry rather than relying solely on direct foreign procurement.
He described Türkiye as one of a small number of countries, alongside South Korea and France, that have successfully developed a mature and largely independent defense industrial ecosystem. He said Ankara's experience in building indigenous supply-chain independence offered direct lessons for Ottawa.
"Ammo production is one, drones, counter drones, those are pretty obvious places," he said regarding the areas for near-term cooperation.
Between 2019 and January 2024, Canada imposed restrictions on arms sales to Türkiye and canceled several export permits in what amounted to a de facto weapons embargo.
Asked whether the embargo was politically worth it, Fuhr stressed he was elected in 2025 and that Canada was focused on the future, saying, "Nobody's raised any past information...Everyone is focused on responding to the moment and how we can work together moving forward."
Fuhr also pointed to planned high-level political engagement between the two countries, including a visit by Prime Minister Mark Carney, as well as ongoing discussions about a possible free trade agreement.
The bilateral relationship has already begun producing tangible outcomes.
During SAHA 2026, Canada-based Kraken Robotics signed a memorandum of understanding with the Strategic and Unmanned Systems Research Center (SISAM) of Türkiye's Sefine Shipyard.
Under the agreement, Kraken will integrate its KATFISH-towed synthetic aperture sonar system into SISAM's mission-planning software and develop automatic target recognition capabilities.
Fuhr also described Canada as a stable investment destination with a strong financial system and policies designed to attract foreign direct investment, suggesting the relationship is envisioned as mutually beneficial.
Central to Canada's ambitions is its newly adopted Defense Industrial Strategy and the creation of a new Defense Investment Agency.
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