Ottawa's sluggish bureaucracy leaves critical gaps in Canadian military ammo supply: AG

Source: CBC Politics
Date: 2026-10-29 21:57:13.0
Tags: [National, Defence, Public Safety, Governance, Industry]

A federal audit by Auditor General Karen Hogan revealed that Canada's strategic military ammunition stockpile has critical gaps and fails to support war readiness or NATO commitments, citing sluggish restocking by Public Services and Procurement Canada and poor inventory management by the Department of National Defence. Despite a previously announced $9.2-billion federal funding pledge over 13 years and a March $1.4-billion framework scaling up domestic production—including $305 million to IMT Precision in Ingersoll, Ontario, and nearly $1 billion to General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems in Quebec—resolving the shortfalls will take several years. The audit noted that regular-use ammunition contracts took an average of nearly 19 months from signature to final delivery, while equipment unreliability and limited training further reduced operational utilization.