📑 Buy Canadian Policy to Phase In Through 2026
Sept 25, 2025
Mark Carney’s Buy Canadian policy will begin rolling out in November but won’t be fully implemented until spring 2026 (CBC News). Federal procurement ministers are still debating whether special legislation or new funding is needed to underpin the initiative. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, and Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound are leading the effort, with Lightbound overseeing implementation.
The policy aims to make support for Canadian suppliers an obligation rather than a best effort. Ottawa spends about C$37 billion per year on goods and services; the plan would require domestic or trusted-partner sourcing for major defence and construction contracts and extend the obligation to Crown corporations and infrastructure spending. Stakeholders like the Canadian Steel Producers Association are pressing for border measures to protect local mills, while renewable-energy advocates warn that strict local-content rules could delay projects. Trade lawyers are also questioning whether the policy can comply with Canada’s international obligations.
Our Take
Certainly, this shows that Ottawa is moving deliberately to put plans in place for more domestic spending. This is in line with Carney's 'Build Canada Strong' mantra, and does seem an important step to supporting domestic resource industries who are having a harder time finding foreign markets in this tariff era. Still, there are some risks to an obligatory domestic procurment strategy, so it'll be important to ensure the process is handled intelligently and transparently. Expect a lot of lobbying over the coming months.
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