13 mars 2023 | Local, C4ISR
Canada to buy anti-tank weapon, counter-drone tech for unit in Latvia
The country is also eyeing a soldier-portable very-short-range air defense system to equip units in Latvia.
Quebec's Davie shipyard wins $610M contract to convert icebreakers for coast guard
Jean-Yves Duclos, who represents the Quebec City region made announcement Friday
The federal government has signed a $610-million contract to acquire and convert three icebreakers to renew the Canadian Coast Guard's aging fleet.
Federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, who represents the Quebec City region made the announcement at the Davie shipyard in Lévis, which will be doing the work.
The coast guard fleet lacks the capacity to perform its icebreaking duties. The Canadian Coast Guard ship Terry Fox, launched in 1993, is the newest icebreaker in the fleet.
The contract is expected to result in the creation of 200 new jobs over the next two years, according to Davie spokesperson Frédérik Boisvert.
Last year, when Davie was working on conversion of the Asterix and finishing two ferries, Davie employed 1,500 workers, Boisvert said.
Many of them were laid off once the projects were completed.
In June, the Liberal government concluded a deal with Davie to purchase three icebreakers, but there was no price tag attached to the project at the time.
Negotiations to acquire the vessels were launched in January after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau abruptly announced the plan in a Radio-Canada interview in Quebec City.
That marked the beginning of a seven-month negotiating process between the government and Davie.
Fraser noted that the usual time it takes to negotiate a shipbuilding contract with the government is eight years, praising the work of negotiators for the government and Davie.
MacKinnon confirmed that Ottawa sped up the process for the icebreaker deal.
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4 avril 2023 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité, Autre défense
DEUX SÉRIES DE 4 PROGRAMMES DE FORMATION ET D’ACCOMPAGNEMENT POUR LES MARCHÉS DE LA DÉFENSE
INITIATIVE DIVERSIFICATION SÉCURITÉ DÉFENSE QUÉBEC – HORIZON 2026 GRÂCE AU SOUTIEN FINANCIER DU GOUVERNEMENT DU QUÉBEC, AÉRO MONTRÉAL VOUS DONNE L’OPPORTUNITÉ DE PARTICIPER À UN PROGRAMME DE FORMATION ET D’ACCOMPAGNE MENT VISANT 4 MARCHÉS DU SECTEUR DE LA DÉFENSE ET DE LA SÉCURITÉ. Ce programme vous offre une bonne compréhension du marché d’intérêt et vous permettra de mieux naviguer la règlementation, mieux comprendre les barrières à l’entrée, et vous offre des solutions pour y accéder. L’accompagnement suivant la formation est offert par des experts en la matière et vous permet une identification des opportunités d’affaires et une mise en relation avec les bonnes entreprises. Pour plus de détails et pour s'inscrire, consulter le document ci-joint.
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9 avril 2020 | Local, Terrestre, Sécurité
Why Canadians and Americans are buying guns during the coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a surge in gun sales. Estimates based on background checks show that an estimated 2.6 million guns were sold in the United States in March. That is an 85 per cent increase over the same period last year. While there are no official numbers, gun stores in Canada have also reported increased sales. This has spurred some news media to draw comparisons between the two nations' gun-sales spikes, potentially stoking the fears of the Canadian public. This angst has been echoed by gun control groups in Canada that have expressed concerns regarding the impact of “increased access to guns” on public health. But few have noted the three key differences between the American and Canadian COVID-19 gun-sales spike. No. 1: Why are they buying? Canadians and Americans buy guns for different reasons. Over the past few decades, the United States has witnessed a transformation in its civilian gun culture. While in the past, gun ownership was mainly related to hunting and sports shooting, changes in laws and gun advertising have led to a rise in gun ownership for self-defence. In the 1970s, only 20 per cent of gun owners indicated self-defence as their primary reason for gun ownership. In the 1990s, following the explosion of laws that allowed Americans to carry guns outside the home, 46 per cent listed self-protection. More recent studies have shown that 76 per cent of gun owners now report protection as their primary motivation for gun ownership. The surge in first-time buyers suggests that many Americans buying guns during the pandemic are doing so due to concerns about self-defence, given fears of looting, violence and the government's capacity to deal with the crisis. With the absence of a gun-carry movement in Canada, this same shift has not taken place. The conditions under which guns can be used for self-defence in Canada are narrow, and the government stringently regulates not only firearms ownership, but the discourse surrounding guns. Self-defence is not a legal reason to acquire a firearm in Canada, and cannot be listed as a reason for firearms ownership on a Possession and Acquisition License (PAL) application. Though no research exists at this time, owners of gun stores who were interviewed by the media noted that Canadians are likely panic-buying due to a fear of shortages rather than a fear of violence, since the Canadian supply chain is heavily dependent on the United States. That means gun owners who might have waited to buy firearms and ammunition for target shooting over the summer or hunting this fall are buying them now. No. 2: How are they buying them? Another key difference between the bump in sales in Canada versus the U.S. is the requirements to purchase guns and ammunition. South of the border, most firearms legislation is made at the state level, with big differences in gun laws across the country. In many states, the only requirement to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer is a federal background check, though states like California and Massachusetts have much stricter laws. In Canada, the bump in sales is limited to those who have already passed through the RCMP's extensive licensing regime. This process often takes up to six months and includes a weekend-long course, passing a written and practical test and reference checks. Canadian gun owners are subject to continuous automatic background checks as long as they hold the licence. So if somebody is legally purchasing a gun in Canada, it means the RCMP could find “no reasons why, in the interest of public safety, they should not possess a firearm.” No. 3: Who is buying what? Many of the people buying guns in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic reported that it was their first time purchasing a gun. Furthermore, the majority of guns sold during the current boom have been handguns rather than long guns. Though it's a bit early to speculate, this could very well lead to even less support for gun control in the U.S., given that gun owners are unsurprisingly the least likely group to support gun control. In Canada, on the other hand, it is likely that only a small minority of gun purchases during the Canadian spike were first-time buyers given the time frame required to acquire a firearm licence in Canada. Statistics on the breakdown of handguns versus long gun purchases during the Canadian pandemic spike don't exist, but we can guess that most of the new guns purchased in Canada were long guns being used for hunting or sports shooting. That's because gun owners wishing to own handguns must have a special Restricted Possession and Acquisition License (RPAL) and maintain a membership at a shooting club, which can cost hundreds of dollars per year and limits handgun ownership to serious target shooters. Of Canada's 2.2 million licensed gun owners, only about a quarter have licences that allow them to purchase handguns. And so it's clear there are major differences between the gun purchase spikes in Canada and the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic. This will hopefully set anxious Canadian minds at ease and let everyone get back to focusing on more pressing problems. https://theconversation.com/why-canadians-and-americans-are-buying-guns-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-135409