QVIL Welcomes Minister Stephen Fuhr to Waterloo Region’s Growing Defence and Innovation Hub
QVIL was honoured to welcome Minister Stephen Fuhr on Friday during his visit to Waterloo Region, where he met with local technology leaders to discuss Canada’s expanding defence and security ecosystem.
As Secretary of State for Defence Procurement, Minister Fuhr is leading a generational effort to strengthen Canada’s defence capacity, including a commitment to increase spending to five per cent of GDP by 2035 and ensure that the majority of defence investments support Canadian companies. His message was clear: Canada must spend more in Canada, build more in Canada, and scale domestic innovation for sovereign capability.
Waterloo Region has established itself as a powerhouse in advanced technologies, from AI and robotics to quantum science. The conversation focused on how Canada can translate this research strength into deployable systems that enhance national security while strengthening economic resilience.
At QVIL, we highlighted how sustained federal support is helping move next-generation technologies, including advances in quantum-enabled sensing, navigation and communications, from lab to market. These capabilities are increasingly important across defence, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure and represent a strategic opportunity for Canada to lead in dual-use innovation.
The federal initiatives underway, including expanded access to capital, procurement modernization, support for scaling SMEs, and deeper international partnerships, provide an important framework for Canadian companies to grow domestically while competing globally.
We also recognize the importance of the new agency under Minister Fuhr’s leadership in aligning procurement, industrial policy, and long-term strategic investment. Ensuring that emerging technologies developed in Canada are adopted and deployed in Canada will be critical to strengthening sovereignty.
Canada’s defence and security sector is entering a period of significant growth. QVIL looks forward to continued collaboration with Minister Fuhr and federal partners to help ensure the advanced technologies being built in Waterloo Region contribute meaningfully to Canada’s security, competitiveness, and long-term prosperity.
