Canada’s defence and economic development ministers are in the U.S. capital this week to remind lawmakers and military contractors about the economic virtues of cross-border collaboration.

Anita Anand and François-Philippe Champagne say now more than ever, the world needs a tag-team, U.S.-Canada approach to fortifying North America’s defence industrial base.

Anand says last week’s encounter with what U.S. officials insist was a Chinese spy balloon illustrates the urgent need to modernize Norad, the joint-command continental defence system.

Champagne, meanwhile, is overseeing the rapid expansion of Canada’s nascent foray into critical minerals, a vital component of high-tech military equipment, as well as missiles and munitions.

He says the goal is to replicate in the defence space the success Canada has had capitalizing on growing demand around the world for semiconductors and electric vehicles, two areas long dominated by China.

The ministers will be in Washington for meetings through Friday, when they’ll take part in a panel discussion at the Wilson Center on fostering national security and economic prosperity.