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After 25 years in the Royal Canadian Navy, retiring as a Captain (N), I served in operational and senior leadership roles across naval operations and defence planning, working closely with partners responsible for delivering Canada’s major defence programs.
Today, as Managing Director of Defence at Invest Nova Scotia, I work with government partners, defence firms, and international primes to help companies establish and expand operations in Nova Scotia’s defence sector.
Nova Scotia already plays a central role in supporting Canada's defence operations. The province is home to Canada’s East Coast navy and the largest Canadian Forces Base in the country. It builds, maintains, and sustains complex marine assets at scale, supported by a skilled trades workforce, applied research institutions, and a concentrated network of defence companies.
For organizations involved in Canada’s next phase of defence investment, this foundation matters.
Canada’s future submarine program represents a multi-billion-dollar, multi-decade national investment. Sustaining that fleet will require specialized infrastructure, advanced technologies, skilled trades, engineering expertise, and resilient supply chains capable of supporting complex naval assets over their full lifecycle. Nova Scotia already performs much of this work today.
Work is underway with post-secondary institutions, including the Nova Scotia Community College, to ensure training aligns with future demand. Engagement with federal partners and international defence primes is helping to define infrastructure requirements, technology transfer considerations, and long-term sustainment needs.
Together, these efforts ensure that when Canada’s next submarine fleet enters service, Nova Scotia is ready to maintain and overhaul it.
Beyond submarines, Nova Scotia’s defence activity spans naval systems, cybersecurity, training and simulation, advanced materials research, and space-based technologies. From aerospace operations anchored at 14 Wing Greenwood to marine and defence technology firms located across the region, the sector reflects a broad and evolving base.
The province hosts NATO’s DIANA North American headquarters in Halifax, the Defence Innovation and Security Hub (DISH), the Defence Research and Development Canada Atlantic Research Centre. It is also home to one of Canada’s most modern shipyards and a dense network of marine technology firms.
More than 300 ocean-related companies operate in Nova Scotia, many with direct defence expertise, and the province holds one of the highest concentrations of defence spending in Canada per capita, and approximately 35 percent share of the country’s leading defence companies.
Through Invest Nova Scotia, I also work directly with defence firms to support Industrial and Technological Benefits strategies, workforce expansion, and site selection decisions, helping companies integrate into Canada's defence industrial base.
Canada’s expanding defence programs will shape industrial capacity for decades. Governement, industry, and institutions are aligning now to meet the performance, security, and scale requirements these programs demand.
Nova Scotia offers a concentrated defence presence that brings together infrastructure, skilled workers, integrated supply chains, and leading research institutions to support long-term fleet maintenance, modernization, and industrial growth.
Having worked inside naval operations and defence planning, I know that long-term defence programs are ultimately judged by one thing: the ability to sustain complex systems and deliver reliably over decades of service. From fleet sustainment and shipbuilding to advanced defence technology and research, Nova Scotia’s defence industry has built its reputation on exactly that.
If your organization is evaluating where to anchor its next phase of defence investment in Canada, I welcome a conversation about how Nova Scotia can serve as your North American base.
Connect with Sheldon Gillis, Managing Director, Investment Attraction.
