Leading the way: Canadian aerospace industry poised for success

Was the Avro Arrow the last great accomplishment for the Canadian Aerospace sector? Have the collective efforts of the men and women in our industry peaked with a class-leading fighter aircraft designed in the late 1950s? With bold leadership and initiative, we can once again empower the more than 200,000 men and women in Canada to lead, grow, and power Canada’s economic engine. To set about the conditions for this future state. We need to establish a baseline understanding of two principle conditions: bold leadership and incentives. Bold leadership is required to establish any new enterprise and push for change in an existing system. A quote from former U.S president John F. Kennedy can best describe it: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.” This bold leadership is foundational. It recognizes that we should proudly stand behind, push, and promote our Canadian aerospace industry to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. Secondly, a government's principal purpose is to create two types of incentives: incentives to promote the right action and incentives to prevent the wrong action. Incentives serve as a key requirement in order to sustain the interest of the key stakeholders. Charlie Munger of Berkshire Hathaway once said, “show me the incentive, and I’ll show you the outcome.” The proper mix of monetary and non-monetary incentives will need to be in place to create the conditions for a prosperous aerospace industry in Canada. The next steps: a plan to lead in Canada Canada must lead in the adoption of drone and advanced air mobility solutions As Canadians, we celebrate the geographic reach of our country. “From coast to coast to coast.” This obligation extends to the monitoring and defence of our sovereign territory. The Government of Canada should create a made-in-Canada requirement to develop the next generation of coastal and inland detection airborne platforms. Once created, this industry can support other countries across the globe in utilizing a highly technical and scalable aerial solution. Building upon this first goal, Canada must lead in advanced air mobility. We have both the perfect geographic conditions and the need to service our Indigenous and remote communities. We must make it a moonshot mission for the regulator and industry to adopt this next technology to serve Canadians. Canada must lead in efforts of aerospace to adopt green technologies and practices. It’s clear that our requirement to connect one-on-one remains essential. It’s also clear that we need to focus our efforts on reducing the environmental impact that travel represents. To that end, The Government of Canada: declare the movement of non-military travel (government officials, heads of state etc.) be fully offset with sustainable made-in-Canada aviation fuel and to offset carbon credits, utilize only approved projects within Canada.The Government of Canada: will enable the acquisition and modification of aircraft by Canadians to achieve enhanced environmental emission reductions. The Government of Canada will acquire no less than one Bombardier/Airbus A220-300 to showcase Canadian engineering while achieving substantial cost and environmental emission reductions from the current Polaris A310 aircraft. (First delivered over 34 years ago.) Canada must take a whole-of-industry approach to study the use and promotion of air service across our country. The Government of Canada must develop a strategy to support aviation across the country. It’s essential to understand that our industry connects Canadians at home and across the globe. All stakeholders must be included in meaningful strategic conversations designed to ensure Canadian air services remain globally competitive. We find ourselves at a crossroads in 2022. Are we to simply reminisce fondly of our historical accomplishments? Or do we have the desire and will to solve the challenges of tomorrow? Canada’s Aerospace industry is ready to play its part. Anthony Norejko serves as the president and CEO of the Canadian Business Aviation Association.