The Financial Post reports in its Tuesday edition that Canada's industry minister is planning to meet with executives at Lockheed Martin to try to leverage more jobs out of a multibillion-dollar deal to acquire fighter jets. A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post says Mélanie Joly said that one of her main goals for 2026 is to extract greater economic benefits from the government's move to sharply increase defence spending. Prime Minister Mark Carney has tens of billions of dollars worth of projects on the docket, including the planned purchase of fighter jets and submarines, along with a goal to expand Canadian production of armoured vehicles, satellites and other equipment. Canada has a well-developed aircraft industry led by Bombardier of Montreal. Mr. Carney wants to create more manufacturing and tech jobs out of the government's defence industrial strategy, which would help to offset job losses stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump's arbitrary tariffs. Ms. Joly wants to play Lockheed and Sweden's Saab AB against each other over a contract for dozens of new jets. Canada pledged in 2023 to buy 88 Lockheed F-35 jets to modernize its aging fleet, but it has purchased only 16 so far. Ottawa is reviewing the contract.