Canada's Defence Ties With Turkey Become an Early Test of Carney's Middle-Power Strategy

Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent trip to Turkey has drawn attention mostly for the question of whether a country that prizes its values should warm to a government accused of curbing the press and opposition. A less examined part of the strategic partnership Carney signed is the growing co-operation between the two countries on defence industry, which may be an early test of Carney's geopolitical ambitions.

During the stop in Istanbul, Carney was asked about restrictions on Ukraine's access to Starshield, the military version of the Starlink satellite network owned by Elon Musk's company SpaceX. Ukrainian officials said early last week that they had lost part of their access. Ukraine uses Starshield to track incoming missiles and jet-powered drones and to guide interceptor and spy drones, and relies on Starlink for key internal communications.

Carney paused before answering, then spoke of the "immense human suffering" caused by missile strikes on Kyiv and elsewhere, and said the decision was directed at a country fighting for its citizens' lives against "naked aggression." Carney then turned the episode into a lesson for Canadians wary of closer ties with Ankara. Canada, Carney said, does not want to depend on a single provider that could change its position, or be forced to, by a nation state in a way that compromises Canadian sovereignty. Carney named neither the United States nor the Trump administration, though the reference was plain. Canadian officials have also said openly that they want to lessen reliance on Starlink in favour of a future system from Telesat.

Tolga Demiryol, an associate professor of political science at Altınbaş University in Istanbul, wrote in a paper for the Canadian Global Affairs Institute that the defence relationship will show whether the middle-power co-ordination Carney urged in a January speech at Davos can yield something more lasting than a series of transactions. In the paper, Demiryol argued that both countries see the defence industry as a tool of national sovereignty. Canada wants to spread its procurement beyond the United States, while Turkey built its industry through repeated efforts to escape foreign control over parts and export permissions. Demiryol said Carney is not looking for a replacement partner, but for less exposure to any one foreign supplier.

The partnership also requires some trust to be rebuilt. In 2020, Turkey sought an exemption to import targeting equipment made by the Canadian company Wescam for its Bayraktar drones, saying the cameras would support NATO-related reconnaissance in northern Syria. The cameras were later found to have been illegally diverted to Azerbaijan and used in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Human rights groups accused Turkey of misleading Ottawa. A de facto arms embargo followed and lasted until early 2024, when Global Affairs stopped presumptively denying arms export permits to Turkey.

After meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Carney stressed that the agreement signed on Thursday does not open the door to unrestricted exports. Permits will be assessed case by case. "We have standards, we have rules and we will follow them," Carney said.

The appeal of Turkey's defence sector lies in how quickly the country moved from relying on foreign contractors to building its own gear. Carney noted that Turkey produces about 80 per cent of its defence needs domestically, which is not true of Canada, and said there are lessons to learn about building an industry. Turkey's TB2 drone, made by Baykar, proved itself early in the war in Ukraine by halting Russian armoured columns. Carney met Baykar during the Istanbul visit. Turkey now also makes land and sea drones and is developing a next-generation fighter jet called KAAN. Carney did not rule out buying Turkish equipment such as the TB2, but said Canada needs Turkish expertise as it builds up its own industry and meets its obligations as a NATO ally.

Investment is another draw. Mike Ward, executive director of the Canada Turkey Business Council, said four major Turkish defence firms pitched investment in Canada's aerospace sector at the Toronto Global Forum last year. Ward said their message was that they want to invest in Canada, and that they have since returned, with interest in Ontario and Quebec. In Europe, Baykar completed its purchase of the Italian aerospace company Piaggio in June 2025 and is partnering with Leonardo on drones.

Demiryol sees shared production and joint rights as a possible path forward for Canada and Turkey, but said transparency will be essential to avoid the problems that previously broke down relations.