SkyCan Systems, a Canadian defence technology firm, reported communicating with two Conservative MPs in late September to discuss funding, contracts and a program to support Ukraine with drone technology.

And the weapons maker has its own secret weapon — a staff with extensive connections to the federal Liberal Party.

Sachin Aggarwal, the recently appointed CEO of SkyCan, was the deputy chief of staff to onetime Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff from 2008 to 2009. SkyCan announced Aggarwal’s appointment as CEO on the same day as one of the September lobbying communications took place.

Aggarwal also appears to be a regular donor to the Liberal Party. A Sachin Aggarwal based in Toronto donated the legal maximum to Mark Carney’s leadership campaign in 2025 and hosted a fundraiser attended by Francois-Philippe Champagne in his home the same year.

Shannon Zimmerman, a vice-president at the firm, worked in the federal government for nearly a decade, including as a senior staffer in the office of former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland for four-and-a-half years.

And SkyCan board member Jody Thomas was deputy minister of defence from 2018 to 2022, before becoming a national security adviser to former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

She retired from the public service in January 2024. In December 2025, she signed on as a senior adviser for PR and government relations firm Counsel Public Affairs.

Thomas is still involved with Ottawa. She was recently named to the National Council on Artificial Intelligence, which will be directly overseen by Carney’s office. Thomas told the IJF the AI Council has not yet met, and declined to comment further.

The nature of their public service work means Thomas and Zimmerman would both be subject to a five-year cooling-off period, during which they are not permitted to lobby their former colleagues, under the federal Lobbying Act.

SkyCan and Thomas both confirmed that restriction to the IJF, with Thomas saying in an email she is therefore “not engaged in any lobbying on behalf of SkyCan.”

“I am also not providing them with any advice on any form of government outreach, I have not participated in any external meetings on behalf of SkyCan. I am a member of the board, not an employee.”

She said she believes “very deeply in the importance of building a strong Canadian defence industrial base, and I am proud to work with and support SkyCan in service of that shared goal.”

In addition to the September filings, SkyCan has reported 33 communications with federal officials since May.

Several of the reports say the company is seeking “funding under the Regional Defence Investment Initiative” and through the Directorate of Military Assistance Co-ordination, a federal institution that helps deliver drone and counter-drone capabilities to Ukraine.

The registration also said SkyCan wants to advise on how defence procurement policy can improve capacity for domestic manufacturing of drones, and “facilitate the sale and export of such technology to allied nations.”

The company says its drones draw “on platforms proven in frontline operations in Ukraine,” and boasts “combat-proven technology with domestic production, secure supply and long-term support to strengthen Canada’s defence industrial base.”

Asked if it has sold any of its aerial vehicles, a SkyCan spokesperson said the company "holds the intellectual property for multiple combat-proven unmanned platforms across a wide range of capabilities," but "regarding sales, we are not making any announcements today."

The spokesperson declined to answer the IJF's questions about contracts with Canadian and Ukrainian governments or its staff or board members' previous public service work.

Correction (Oct. 20, 2026): A prior version of this story incorrectly stated when Ms. Thomas retired from the public service. Ms. Thomas left the public service in 2024, and therefore was never an adviser to Prime Minister Mark Carney.

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