Ottawa has some explaining to do after a manufacturer once championed by the federal defence minister announced it's packing up and heading overseas.
Woodward Inc., which operates a manufacturing facility in Peterborough, Ont., says it plans to close that plant at the end of August 2027 and shift its operations to Poland. The closure will put 165 employees out of work, dealing a significant blow to the mid-sized Ontario city's manufacturing base.
A Federal Favourite Heads Overseas
What makes the announcement sting is the company's profile back in Ottawa. Woodward's Peterborough operation had previously been singled out and touted by Canada's defence minister as an example of homegrown industrial capacity — the kind of manufacturing muscle the federal government likes to point to when talking up domestic defence production. That makes the relocation plan an awkward look for officials in the nation's capital, who have spent recent years emphasizing the importance of keeping defence-related manufacturing jobs in Canada.
What This Means for Ontario Workers
For the 165 employees at the Peterborough facility, the closure timeline gives roughly a year's notice before the plant shuts its doors for good. Peterborough, like many mid-sized Ontario cities, has leaned on manufacturing as a steady source of local employment, and losing over 150 jobs at once is the kind of hit that ripples through a smaller local economy — from suppliers to the shops and services workers rely on.
Why Ottawa Should Be Watching
Decisions about defence industrial policy, procurement priorities, and whether Canada is doing enough to retain manufacturing jobs tied to national defence all run through Ottawa. When a company that federal officials have publicly praised turns around and announces it's moving production to Poland, it raises pointed questions for policymakers on Parliament Hill about whether current supports for domestic manufacturers are actually working — and whether more needs to be done to keep jobs like these in Canada rather than losing them to lower-cost jurisdictions overseas.
The relocation also lands amid broader national conversations about Canada's manufacturing competitiveness and its ability to hold onto defence-sector jobs at a time when geopolitical tensions have put a renewed premium on domestic industrial capacity.
No further details on the reasons behind the move to Poland, or on what support — if any — will be offered to affected workers, have been released.
Source: Global News Ottawa
