Canada fast-tracks army rifle upgrade with $307M initial order

The canadian river ground forces testament be getting tens of thousands of young assault rifles o'er the next few years under a significant rearmament program announced Thursday by the federal government.

The plan to procure the Canadian Modular Assault Rifle (CMAR) has languished on the military’s equipment list for years but was sped up after the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney poured $93.3 billion into the Department of National Defence this year.

The 65,402 rifles are being ordered in two tranches. 

The first will involve the order of 30,000 general service (GS) rifles over the next three years. That portion of the contract is worth $307 million.

The second — to begin four years from now — will involve the purchase of an additional 19,207 GS variants plus 16,195 full spectrum rifles, which are specifically designed for front-line combat and urban warfare. 

No price tag, or estimate, on the second phase was released Thursday, however, the department’s defence capabilities website says the overall program could be worth between $500 million and $1 billion.

The CMAR is intended to replace the current stock of C7 and C8 rifles, which date from the Afghan war almost two decades ago.

Stephen Fuhr, the secretary of state for defence procurement, and Defence Minister David McGuinty made the announcement Thursday, touting the plan as a sign that the federal government is delivering on re-equipping the military through Canadian industry.

"[The commander of the army] indicated to me that it was very important. Ultimately, he's got a lot of high priorities, but this is one of his highest priorities. And I'm super thrilled that we were able to deliver it faster from home."

Colt Canada has committed to include at least 80 per cent Canadian content in the rifles and Fuhr said that will also generate opportunities for suppliers across the country. 

The ammunition being produced as part of the CMAR initiative will also be made in Canada, said the defence procurement agency backgrounder.

"Rifles remain foundational to soldier effectiveness in the field, and this development brings over 40 years of technology evolution to Canada's fighting forces," Lt.-Gen. Mike Wright, the commander of the army said in a statement.

"This represents tangible progress, and a clear example of how we can move with greater agility to bring modern, reliable equipment to soldiers."

Fuhr said the Defence Investment Agency shaved two years off of the original procurement time by using a federal funding mechanism developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to speed up the process. Known as a risk-based approach, it essentially means that once the Treasury Board approves a project that isn’t overly complex, it doesn’t have to return multiple times for followup funding approval. 

It is, Fuhr said, an important mechanism in quickly re-equipping the military.

"We came up with this risk-based approach. I'm going to use it where I can because it does save time," Fuhr said. "I mean, we're demonstrating that it does."

Senior reporter, defence and security

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