Good morning! This is Queen Street Analytics' weekly roundup of regulatory developments, legislative discussions, political announcements and other government-related news concerning Canada's national defence, cybersecurity, border security, weapons systems, military commitments, and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Every Monday, we break down the most important updates in this space in under five minutes.

Want to track GR news in industries related to Defence? Don’t miss this week’s updates in ICT & Cybersecurity.

Dates: 2025-07-27 to 2025-08-02

📋 In This Week's Newsletter

• 🇨🇦 Canadian Federal GR News
• 🇺🇸 US Federal GR News
• 🗺️ Canadian Provincial GR News
• 📚 What We're Reading This Week

Canadian Federal GR News

Royal Canadian Navy Concludes Block II Harpoon Missile Rearmament in Australia During Exercise TALISMAN SABRE 25

His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ville de Québec completed a forward rearmament of Block II Harpoon Missiles in Darwin, Australia as part of Exercise TALISMAN SABRE 25. The ship’s rearmament, conducted jointly with the Australian Defence Force, demonstrates ongoing interoperability efforts between the Royal Canadian Navy and allied navies in the Indo-Pacific region. This marks the second instance of a Canadian warship being armed outside North America, following HMCS Vancouver's similar procedure in Broome, Australia, in 2024. The 2025 operation incorporated logistics lessons from the inaugural deployment and featured a live-fire scenario engaging a ground-based target with a Block II Harpoon missile. Enhancing the Royal Canadian Navy's logistical agility, this operation signals Canada's intent and operational capacity to sustain complex deployments far from home ports.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Canadian Coast Guard Adds CCGS Baie des Chaleurs Search and Rescue Lifeboat to Fleet

The Canadian Coast Guard officially brought the CCGS Baie des Chaleurs into service at Clark’s Harbour, Nova Scotia. The lifeboat is the 13th of 20 new search and rescue vessels destined for Coast Guard stations across Canada under the National Shipbuilding Strategy. Capable of operating up to 100 nautical miles offshore and maintaining a maximum 30-minute state-of-readiness, these vessels are equipped and crewed to address marine distress and search operations. Each new lifeboat aims to enhance Canada’s response capabilities to maritime emergencies and to provide operational support to disabled vessels and distressed mariners in Canadian waters.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Minister Anand Responds to Report on Canadian Arms Exports, Confirms Suspension of Gaza-Related Permits

Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand issued a statement addressing claims about Canadian arms exports to the West Bank and Gaza, refuting what Global Affairs Canada described as ‘misleading’ or ‘significantly misrepresented’ assertions. Since January 2024, Canada has approved no new permits for controlled goods potentially usable in Gaza, and all existing relevant permits remain frozen. According to the statement, items identified as ‘bullets’ were, in fact, paintball projectiles, and no mortars have shipped to Israel since before the freeze. Minister Anand underlined that any violation of Canadian export control laws may trigger fines, seizures, or criminal prosecution under the Import and Export Permits Act. No explosive materials such as munitions are shipped via passenger aircraft. Canadian authorities continue to monitor for regime circumvention.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

CSE and NSERC Launch $5.6 Million Research Community on Unstructured Data Analysis

The Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE) and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) announced $5.6 million in research funding over four years to a multi-institutional team led by Professor Benjamin Fung of McGill University. The project, titled ZenithVector, aims to develop advanced vectorization, embedding, and analytics toolkits for large-scale exploratory analysis of unstructured data, including text, code, and images. The participating research community consists of 15 principal figures from 10 Canadian universities, focusing on cyber intelligence and scalable analytics. This initiative is a part of the NSERC-CSE Research Communities Grants targeting technologies of strategic importance to Canada’s security and defense interests.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Canada Gazette: ISED Opens Consultation on Use of 21.2–21.8 GHz and 22.4–23.0 GHz Spectrum for Fixed Services

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) released a consultation on the policy, technical, and licensing framework for the spectrum bands 21.2–21.8 GHz and 22.4–23.0 GHz, targeting increased backhaul capacity through fixed services. Interested parties are invited to comment by September 18, 2025, with replies due by October 22, 2025. Submissions will be published on ISED’s Spectrum Management and Telecommunications website. The consultation seeks input on spectrum policy and licensing considerations relevant to defense communications providers operating backhaul networks for secure information transfer.

Sources: Gazette, Part I: www.gazette.gc.ca

Canada Marks 50th Anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, Reaffirms OSCE Security Commitments

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand restated Canada’s commitment to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) principles. The statement focused on support for arms control architecture, sovereignty, and multilateral engagement in Euro-Atlantic security. Referencing Russia’s violations of these principles, the government underscored Canada’s ongoing engagement in European cooperative security frameworks which include arms control, border cooperation, and transatlantic defense policy alignment.

Sources: Announcements: www.canada.ca

Weekly Aircraft Movement Data Released by Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada published weekly data covering aircraft itinerant movements for the period July 12 to 18, 2025. These figures furnish the defense and aerospace sectors with short-term statistics useful for tracking operational tempo, assessing supply chain activity, and monitoring demand for air operations at military and civilian airports.

Sources: Open Government Data Set: www.statcan.gc.ca

US Federal GR News

White House Suspends Global De Minimis Exemption, Announces New Tariffs and Procedures Effective August 29

President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order on July 30, 2025, suspending the global de minimis duty exemption for commercial shipments valued at $800 or less, with new measures applying to both e-commerce and commercial traffic effective August 29. Goods moving via non-postal networks will be subject to duties; international postal shipments will face country- and article-specific duties. Exemptions remain for personal use and bona fide gifts. The administration cites a surge in de minimis shipments—rising from 134 million in 2015 to over 1.36 billion in 2024—as a driver for the policy, linking these volumes to tariff evasion and illicit import flows. Prior actions had already suspended de minimis from China and Hong Kong, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act is set to repeal the exemption globally by 2027. Trade compliance responsibilities are expanded for carriers, and existing CBP protocols are being updated accordingly.

Sources: White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov, White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov

Section 232 Tariffs: 50% Duty on Copper Imports, Domestic Sales Mandates, and Defense Production Act Measures

Effective August 1, President Trump imposed a 50% tariff on semi-finished copper products and copper-intensive derivatives while excluding copper input materials and scrap. The policy follows a Section 232 investigation, which found that copper imports threaten national security by undermining domestic supply and enabling foreign dominance in refining, particularly from a single foreign country. The Proclamation instructs the Secretary of Commerce to implement a product inclusion process, apply Defense Production Act authorities, and require a rising share of high-quality copper scrap and inputs to be sold within the United States. Coordination with UK trade officials is ongoing. Additional tariffs for refined copper may be considered, and anti-circumvention protocols and monitoring mechanisms are being established.

Sources: White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov, White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov

White House Raises Tariffs on Canada to 35% in Response to Northern Border Drug Trafficking Concerns

On July 31, 2025, President Trump announced an increase in tariffs on Canadian goods from 25% to 35%, citing ongoing fentanyl trafficking and drug production linked to Canadian-based organizations. The action, executed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, takes effect August 1, 2025, and maintains USMCA exemptions but applies a 40% tariff on transshipped goods circumventing USMCA rules. The order references record levels of fentanyl seizures at the northern border. Several agencies will monitor implementation as part of the effort to disrupt illicit supply chains.

Sources: White House Announcements: www.whitehouse.gov

DoD Seeks Comments on Major DFARS Information Collection Requirements Affecting Defense Suppliers and Contract Administration

The Defense Acquisition Regulations System (DARS) submitted proposals to OMB requesting extensions for major information collection requirements under DFARS Part 215 ("Only One Offer") and DFARS Part 242 (Contract Administration). When only one offer is received on a competitive solicitation, contractors must provide certified cost or pricing data, covering nearly 2,000 responses annually and totalling over 74,500 hours of paperwork. Contract administration rules require 287 entities to maintain and report on their material management and accounting systems, with compliance estimated at 136,325 hours per year. Comments on both collections are open until September 2, 2025, and pertain to a wide range of defense pricing, audit, and supply chain process functions for U.S. and international defense suppliers.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov, U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Commerce Department Requests Public Comment on Section 232 Adjustments for National Security–Sensitive Imports

The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is seeking public input on proposed inclusions to national security adjustments for specific imports under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. Presidential Proclamations 10895 and 10896 have expanded investigations to derivative steel and aluminum articles and now empower the Secretary of Commerce to add further products within the scope of the steel and aluminum tariffs. Interested parties, particularly those in defense production, may submit evidence suggesting that imported derivative articles threaten U.S. national security or undermine 2018 Section 232 objectives. Responses are voluntary and due by September 30, 2025. The process is designed to enable rapid response to emerging import threats affecting the defense industrial base.

Sources: U.S. Federal Announcements: www.federalregister.gov

Canadian Provincial GR News

B.C. Premier Issues Statement Honouring Korean War Veterans Day

Premier David Eby marked Korean War Veterans Day on July 27, 2025, acknowledging the contributions of BC-based personnel who served in all branches of the Canadian Forces during the Korean War and subsequent UN peacekeeping operations.

Sources: Provincial Announcement: news.gov.bc.ca

What We're Reading This Week

• HANetf and VettaFi Partner to Launch the World's First Indo-Pacific Defence ETF, Addressing Critical Gap in Global Portfolios: Details on financial innovation in regional defense sector ETFs targeting the Indo-Pacific.
• Iveco Group announces agreement to sell Defence Business to Leonardo: European M&A activity reshapes land systems manufacturing landscape.
• Elbit Systems Secures $260 Million Contract for German A400M Aircraft: European defense procurement spotlights integrated avionics for transport fleets.
• Rising Threats Trigger U.S. Public Sector Security Upgrades: U.S. public sector increases investment in security technology.

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