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The federal government recently released a new defence industrial strategy, with $6.6 billion of new funding attached. It comes with the lofty goal of eventually producing 70 per cent of our defence equipment in Canada.

There are many moving pieces to the strategy, but the question on many people’s minds is this: Can’t we just buy planes and ships from other countries? It’s a logical thought, but one that doesn’t stand up to recent history.

Considering the threats to Canada’s sovereignty and economy from U.S. President Donald Trump, let alone a scenario where tensions persist beyond his second administration, it would be useful to have the capability to build advanced military hardware ourselves, as well as to have a greater diversity of international suppliers and partners in building facilities here.

That’s called strategic autonomy. Its value has been shown around the world.

Strategic autonomy and the invasion of Ukraine

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an immoral and illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While the free world was quick to denounce the move and introduce measures to punish Russia and to aid Ukraine, Putin had leverage.

After all, Europe had long allowed itself to become dependent on Russian natural gas exports. The world experienced an inflationary shock as energy, fertilizer and wheat prices increased. This arguably caused some of our allies to be less aggressive in starving the Russian war machine through sanctions and in arming Ukraine – thus prolonging the war.

Leverage can force uncomfortable compromises. However, it can also work both ways in a highly integrated global economy.

In March 2022, Boeing announced it would join rival Airbus in cutting off aircraft parts and services to Russia. Given the highly specialized components required to keep jets in the air, Russia has had to find ways to circumvent sanctions to keep its struggling airline industry going. It’s not clear that it is sustainable. Indeed, Moscow is making a major push to develop its own aerospace industry, which isn’t going well.

Parts aren’t the whole story, though. Services such as software updates and support are also important. When you’re buying complex equipment, you’re buying a relationship. If that relationship deteriorates, so does your fleet. That’s why Russia is trying to build strategic autonomy in critical sectors – hopefully too late.

Boeing and Airbus cutting off Russia is a reminder that corporate actors can also reassess their relationships with various countries.

That brings us to a more worrisome example: Starlink. SpaceX granted Ukraine access to its satellite internet........

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