By Newell Durnbrooke
On Thursday 29 October, the Proax Technologies sprawling 76,000-square-foot production facility in Mississauga, Ontario was the host site for the 2026 Canadian Industry & Automation Summit. The aim of the Summit was to bring together leaders from Canadian manufacturing, defence, government, industry and automation. With Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent pledge to vastly increase defence spending in Canada, that sector was a central theme in this year's event. For the more than 500 delegates in attendance this was an opportunity for Canadian manufacturers and industry professionals to; connect with influential leaders, explore emerging technologies, learn about those resources available to support growth and modernization and to discuss those opportunities and challenges shaping Canadian industry.
It was a well promoted, well organized one day event, with the morning program featuring an exhibition hall and Expert-Led seminars. The Canadiana focus extended to the exotic catered lunch which featured regional delicacies from different locales. Atlantic Canada featured lobster rolls and Halifax style donairs, Quebec offered up smoked meat sandwiches and poutine, Ontario presented open faced peameal bacon sandwiches and chicken skewers, the Prairies had generous of chunk of Alberta beef brisket and peirogies, with British Columbia rounding things out with fresh rolled sushi and salmon skewers. It the first and only conference of this nature that I have attended wherein the lunch was a topic of discussion before, during and after the meal.
The main event was an afternoon Industry Leadership Panel chaired by Proax CEO and President Steve Daub. Fellow panellists included Deputy Commissioner of the Canadian Coast Guard Marc Mes, Jacques Arsenault, Director Joint ISR and EW Systems (DJIES), Department of National Defence procurement, Matthew Rowe from the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association and Leslie Preston the Director and Senior Economist at the TD Bank Group. In addition to the focus on increased defence sector spending, a common theme running throughout the commentaries was the effects of the current trade war tariffs imposed on Canada by US President Donald J. Trump.
What was particularly refreshing about the Proax Automation Summit was the fact that it brought together a military component face to face with Canadian manufacturers who are going to need to pivot and expand production to meet the demands of the defence sector. It was not just another Defence Trade show wherein international defence corporations display their latest weapons and vehicles. This was the grass roots, nuts-and-bolts reality of what it will take to truly expand Canada's defence sector; financial investment, automation in manufacturing and an understanding of what our frontline military is needing to acquire. From that perspective this year's summit was a resounding success.
Esprit de Corps wishes to thank CEO Steve Daub and the entire team at Proax for hosting this event.
