Adedokun Waliyu 
Canadian defence contractor has secured a multimillion-dollar contract to provide 20 armoured trucks to the U.S. federal government — the fifth such contract awarded to the firm since early 2024.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) has entered into a $9.7-million sole-source contract with Brampton-based Roshel to provide 20 Senator emergency response tactical vehicles to aid their ongoing operation to rid the United States of illegal immigrants.
According to U.S. federal procurement documents, the trucks will be equipped to level two of NATO’s STANAG 4569 armoured vehicle standards — making them capable of withstanding gunfire from the 7.62×39mm cartridge (used in AK-47 rifles) at 30 metres, 155mm artillery rounds from 80 metres, and resistant to 6 kilos of explosives detonated underneath the vehicle.
The contract was awarded Nov. 28, and comes as relations between Canada and the United States remain strained while the Donald Trump White House transitions the country’s trade policy to a decidedly America-first philosophy.
What other vehicles Roshel provided
Federal procurement records indicate this is the fifth contract with Roshel to provide armoured vehicles to the U.S. government since 2024.
In August 2024, Roshel was chosen to fulfil a US$6.2-million contract to supply 20 armoured personnel carriers (APCs) for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) — an agency of the U.S. state department tasked with fighting crime and illicit drug smuggling in foreign countries.
Roshel would be chosen two more times to provide MRAP (mine resistant, ambush-protected) vehicles to INL, a US$82.9-million contract to supply 200 vehicles, and again in March for a US$39-million contract to provide 110 more.
In September, a US$8.2-million contract was awarded to provide 25 Senator APCs for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security.
2023 Ukraine deal sparked controversy
Roshel Defence Solutions was founded in 2016, developing its venerable Senator armoured truck two years later.
In 2023, Roshel was the subject of a Canadian government investigation into alleged wrongdoing connected to a sole-source, $92-million contract to provide 200 APCs to Ukraine.
The allegations stem from a wrongful dismissal lawsuit filed by a former Roshel executive alleging “illegal acts” and violations of anti-corruption laws and accusing the company of bribing Ukrainian officials to “influence decisions made by the Ukrainian government and/or military” to secure the lucrative contract.
Roshel countersued the former executive for $11 million, claiming defamation and breach of contract.
The allegations were enough for the Canadian Commercial Corporation — the federal crown agency overseeing the deal — to ask Roshel to cease production for a month while the allegations were investigated.
