Canada’s largest arms fair has refused media accreditation for multiple independent journalists and media outlets, including The Maple.
The CANSEC trade show, hosted by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI) at Ottawa’s Cohere Centre this Wednesday and Thursday, is an annual event that attracts hundreds of arms companies and dozens of Canadian politicians as attendees.
Keynote speakers at this year’s event include Defence Minister David McGuinty and Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, as well as former United States president Joe Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan.
The organizers state that they work with the Canadian government “to engage a diverse global community” and list the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces as their “strategic partners.”
The Maple applied for media accreditation for this year’s CANSEC, but received an email from CADSI’s press team explaining that: “We have reviewed your application and have declined it for the following reasons [...] Your media organization does not meet the CADSI Eligibility Requirements.”
CADSI did not respond to questions from The Maple asking for details about its eligibility requirements and why it believes The Maple did not meet them. The Maple requested the decision to be reviewed, but heard nothing further from CADSI.
On its media registration page, CANSEC states: “New media applicants are reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and the accreditation decisions are final. CANSEC is a private event and organizers reserve the right to deny accreditation.”
In its “eligibility requirements” for media accreditation, CANSEC states that applicants from online publications, such as The Maple, must have “a substantial amount of original news content, commentary, or analysis on defence and security issues.”
It adds: “Publications or organizations that exist primarily for advocacy purposes may not qualify for media accreditation.”
The Maple extensively covers military affairs and has previously been accredited for the Halifax International Security Forum and the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.
Another independent journalist, Christy Somos, was also denied accreditation for this year’s CANSEC event.
Somos told The Maple that she was commissioned to write a story for The Walrus, but had missed CANSEC’s formal registration deadline. CADSI told Somos that the event was at capacity for media.
However, Somos was told by colleagues and former CADSI employees that the deadline was “flexible” in the past and that last minute registrations had been approved previously.
“I wondered if it was more to do with my coverage being critical of the Ottawa military establishment, especially as I had a former high-ranking member of the CAF agree to vouch for me,” Somos said.
In 2023, CADSI refused accreditation to The Breach, another independent news publication, on the basis that it conducts “aggressively critical anti-war journalism.”
According to The Breach, a CADSI representative offered access that was conditional on The Breach providing positive coverage.
CANSEC’s 2026 sponsors include major defence companies such as BAE Systems, Boeing, CAE, Thales, Northrop Grumman, RTX and Roshel, as well as provincial economic development agencies from Ontario and Nova Scotia.
The event is also sponsored by the University of Toronto. A group of U of T students released a statement this week condemning the university’s support for the event and are due to hold a press conference on Wednesday.
Local activists have also called on the government of Canada to block Elbit Systems, an Israeli arms company that plays a key role in arming the Israeli military, from attending the show.
This year’s CANSEC is seen as particularly important given the Mark Carney government’s massive hikes in military spending and its pledge to hit NATO’s 5 per cent GDP military spending target by 2035, as demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In February, Carney launched the Defence Industrial Strategy to promote investment in “Canadian innovation and commercialisation and streamlining procurement to give businesses consistent and predictable demand.”
The strategy includes a target of increasing Canadian military exports by 50 per cent over the next decade.
In CANSEC’s 2026 press brochure, CADSI President and CEO Christyn Cianfarani is quoted saying: “This year’s show will undoubtedly be our biggest yet, reflecting a dramatic shift over the past 12 months in how the Canada’s federal government views and approaches defence.”
“We recognize that with increased interest in the defence sector will come greater scrutiny, and new opportunities to educate the public about the industry.”
