Rheinmetall Defence employ over 250 people in Canada. (Photo: Rheinmetall) Click to enlarge.

OTTAWA Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose has been given a series of recommendations on how to fix the troubled military procurement system.

The independent assessment says, among other things, that Canadian companies should be take the lead or play a major role in follow-on support contracts for the billions of dollars in ships, planes and vehicles bought for the Forces.

The analysis says impending U.S. defence cuts represent a threat to Canadian defence industries, but they also represent an opportunity to develop new, specialized markets.

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The report suggests areas wher the government should focus its industrial attention.

When it comes to how much the Harper government is willing to invest in the defence industry sector, Ambrose says the government is more powerful as a customer than as a subsidizer.