The money, dispensed by the government’s regional economic development agencies, is an initial part of the yet-to-be-revealed defence industrial strategy, the announcement said. The Regional Defence Investment Initiative, as it’s called, is to help Canadian businesses sell to both domestic and international supply chains for military gear, and is available to suppliers of dual-use products, too. (The Logic)

Talking point: Various economic development ministers touted their home regions’ especially strong claims to the cash. Nova Scotia’s Sean Fraser noted Atlantic Canada’s “companies are already pushing the boundaries of marine, aerospace and defence technologies”; the Prairie provinces “already punch above their weight in Canada’s defence industry,” Alberta’s Eleanor Olszewski said; and “B.C. is poised to lead the way in defence innovation,” according to its minister, Gregor Robertson.