PoliticsA few days before the federal budget was tabled, the CEO of Swedish industrial giant Saab flew to Ottawa to meet with the country’s top bureaucrat, fuelling the sense a deal is brewing between the Canadian government and the military manufacturer. Now, the country’s king, queen and a delegation of political and business leaders are set to visit from Nov. 18-20.Business and political delegation will visit Canada from Nov. 18-20, with stops in Ottawa and MontrealCBC News · Posted: Nov 12, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 6 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia will lead an economic mission to Canada next week, with its sights set on the Canadian military market. (Janerik Henriksson/TT News Agency via Reuters)A few days before the federal budget was tabled, the CEO of Swedish industrial giant Saab flew to Ottawa to meet with the country’s top bureaucrat, fuelling the sense a deal is brewing between the Canadian government and the military manufacturer.Sources said the fact that Michael Sabia, the clerk of the Privy Council, made room in his tight agenda on Oct. 31 to meet with Micael Johansson highlights Canada’s interest in acquiring European military equipment, as well as beefing up its domestic production capacity. Even clearer signals are expected when Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia lead a business and political delegation to Canada between Nov. 18 and 20. The state visit will include Sweden’s deputy prime minister, Ebba Busch, and its defence minister, Pål Jonson, in addition to more that 60 members of the country’s business community.One of the world’s richest families, the Wallenbergs, will be represented. Their holdings include major participation in telecommunications giant Ericsson and Saab, which is a large industrial group that produces Gripen fighter jets and the GlobalEye surveillance aircraft.With stops in Ottawa and Montreal, the visit will aim to strengthen Canada’s military alliance with a fellow NATO and Arctic country, shortly after the Carney government promised $82 billion in new defence spending.Saab chairman Marcus Wallenberg and CEO Micael Johansson, shown here in a 2023 file photo, are expected to visit Canada in mid-November. (Ueslei Marcelino/Reuters)The delegation will make a stop at Bombardier’s facilities in Montreal, highlighting the company’s desire to work with Saab on the production of Gripens for the Canadian market, as well as potential clients such as Ukraine.”Saab wants to do significantly more work in Canada in the near term. Saab views Canada as an ideal partner, with the right, highly skilled workforce to support a massive growth in global demand,” said Simon Carroll, president of Saab Canada.”Both countries need each other, especially in this complex global landscape,” added Christina Keighren from Business Sweden, the group that organized the commercial delegation.The backdrop to the visit is the erosion of Canada-U.S. ties since President Donald Trump came to power in January. In March, the Carney government announced plans to review its purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets from the American firm Lockheed Martin over Trump’s repeated attacks against Canadian sovereignty.Ottawa is still committed to buying at least 16 F-35s, but there is growing talk of a mixed fleet composed of both F-35s and Gripens for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Experts say the Gripen E costs much less to fly compared to the F-35, but there would be additional costs to maintain and operate two fleets, particularly in terms of pilot training and infrastructure.Swedish Defence Minister Pål Jonson, left, and Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch will be part of the economic mission next week. (Mélanie Joly/Facebook)Since the F-35 review was launched, Bombardier executives have met three times with Innovation Minister Mélanie Joly — in May, June and July, according to the federal lobbyists’ registry.In August, Joly took the initiative of organizing a visit to the Saab factory that manufactures Gripen-E fighter jets in Linköping, Sweden.For Canada, the state visit led by King Carl is seen as an opportunity to strengthen its European partnerships.”The question is whether we want to be closer to the United States, or do we want to be closer to the Europeans?” said a senior government source.Radio-Canada granted confidentiality to some sources who were not authorized to speak publicly about discussions between Saab and Bombardier, or the federal government’s strategy.A military aircraft from the Gripen-E series of the Swedish company Saab. (Jamie Hunter/Saab AB)Political scientist Justin Massie said he understands Canada’s efforts to diversify its alliances.”When we partner with a country, it’s because we believe we can operate with that partner for years, perhaps even decades, and that partner will be reliable and interested in a win-win relationship,” said Massie, who is a professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM).“And that’s why it’s extremely damaging to Canada-U.S. relations when you have an American president waging tariff wars against his neighbours.”According to Carleton University political scientist Philippe Lagassé, Sweden is a model for Canada.”We have many lessons to learn from Sweden — not only at the military level, but also in regards to the defence industry. The country has built an autonomous industry that has had great success internationally,” said Lagassé. Philippe Lagassé, a professor at Carleton University’s Norman Patterson School of International Affairs in Ottawa, believes that Canada needs to diversify the sources of its military equipment. (Radio-Canada / Simon Lasalle)Approximately three-quarters of Canada’s military purchases currently come from the United States. In a bid to reduce this reliance, the federal government has been cultivating alliances in countries such as Sweden, as well as Germany and South Korea, which are the final bidders to supply Canada with a new fleet of 12 submarines. According to several sources, the Carney government has a soft spot for the GlobalEye aircraft to meet its plans to acquire Canadian airborne early warning and control (AEWC) capability; Saab detection and radar systems are already installed on Global 6500 business jets manufactured by Bombardier in Toronto.In fact, sources said Saab officials have been holding high-level meetings recently with the Ontario government of Premier Doug Ford.Another option on the table — once again using the Global 6500 — is the Phoenix AEWC aircraft, manufactured in collaboration with L3 and Israel Aerospace Industries, while a third contract competitor is Boeing’s E7 Wedgetail. WATCH | Examining Canada’s role in building the F-35 fighter jet:Canada’s role in building American F-35 fighter jetsRising U.S. trade tensions have some questioning if American-made fighter jets are still the right decision for Canada. For The National, CBC’s David Common looks at what goes into building the F-35 and finds a surprising Canadian contribution. Traditionally, the Canadian Armed Forces have primarily sourced their aeronautical equipment from American companies, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Sikorsky.Boeing emphasizes that it has been present in Canada for more than 100 years and has contributed over $15 billion in industrial benefits to the country’s economy. It added that its E7 Wedgetail has been sold to the armed forces of Australia, South Korea, Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom.”We stand ready to support the Royal Canadian Air Force’s capability needs,” said Al Meinzinger, president of Boeing Canada.Still, Canada could increase its autonomy by diversifying its sources of military equipment.“The United States, and probably even the president, will put pressure on Canada to acquire American capabilities to contribute to the defence of the continent. That said, we must also recognize that, as a sovereign country, we must be able to make our own choices and take our own decisions,” said Lagassé.As part of its bid, Saab says it is ready to share its intellectual property with Canadian companies and allow them to join its international production chain.Sweden’s willingness to share its technologies could offer a long-term advantage, Massie said, especially if Canada participates in the development of the next generations of fighter jets.
Swedish kings visit highlights growing Canadian interest in Saab military aircraft
