Internal audit informed Liberals' defence procurement reforms, government says

Prime Minister Mark Carney steps off a Canadian Forces CC-130 Hercules plane with Secretary of State (Defence Procurement) Stephen Fuhr as he arrives in Bardufoss, Norway, Friday, March 13, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA — The Liberals say a recent internal government audit that outlined problems in military procurement led to some of the changes to the system introduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government.

A spokesperson for Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state for defence procurement, says the audit “helped inform” some of the policies being advanced through the new Defence Investment Agency.

The agency is a new government office created to streamline decision making and improve military procurement, and Fuhr’s office said it sped up the purchase of new assault rifles for the army by about two years.

The internal National Defence audit, which was conducted in 2024 and 2025 and surveyed years of past audits, was published quietly online recently.

It warned the procurement system faces persistent challenges," even though it is “evolving rapidly” under Prime Minster Mark Carney’s government.

Conservative defence critic James Bezan said on Thursday it’s “outrageous” the audit shows the military had to wait anywhere from nine to 27 years for a variety of major purchases.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 17, 2026.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press