Ottawa is home to the Department of National Defence's headquarters, and it's there that a peculiar bit of office etiquette drama has unfolded — one that touches on one of the federal government's most closely watched procurement files.
A DND official has reportedly been told to stop using a custom-made business card featuring two Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets after handing out copies at a recent military trade show. The card, apparently designed and printed on the official's own initiative, ended up raising eyebrows given the sensitivity of the file she works on.
Bad Timing for a Personal Branding Choice
The business card mishap comes at a particularly delicate moment. Canada has been reviewing its multibillion-dollar commitment to purchase F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin, a deal originally signed by the federal government but which has faced renewed scrutiny amid shifting political and trade relationships. Ottawa, as the seat of federal decision-making, has been ground zero for those conversations, with officials at DND headquarters fielding questions from politicians, allies, and industry watchers alike.
Against that backdrop, an official showing up at a trade show with a personal business card branded with the very aircraft under review was seen by some as, at best, an unforced error — and at worst, a signal that could be read as favouring one outcome in an ostensibly neutral procurement process.
A City Used to Procurement Sensitivities
Ottawa residents who follow federal politics know this isn't the first time appearances have mattered as much as substance when it comes to defence spending. The National Capital Region's economy is deeply tied to federal contracts and the institutions that oversee them, and DND is one of the city's largest employers. Local defence contractors, consultants, and public servants all watch these signals closely, since even small missteps can ripple through how procurement decisions are perceived — both by the public and by international partners.
For an official based in Ottawa working on a file with this much scrutiny, a personal branding choice that seemed harmless on its face turned into a reminder of just how carefully DND staff need to tread while the F-35 review continues.
What Happens Next
It's not clear whether any formal disciplinary action followed beyond the direction to stop using the cards. The episode is unlikely to change the trajectory of Canada's fighter jet review, but it does underscore how closely watched every detail of the process has become — down to what's printed on a business card.
For Ottawa, where so much of the local economy and civic identity is wrapped up in the machinery of federal government, it's a small but telling glimpse into the pressures facing public servants navigating high-stakes files in the public eye.
Source: CBC Ottawa
