B.C. aerospace industry needs our full attention

As Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques continues his mission in space, it’s important that we keep our eyes on the broader aerospace industry that supports him back here on Earth, including British Columbia, Canada’s third-largest aerospace province and an important part of Canada’s aerospace ecosystem that directly employs 9,300 highly skilled workers and supports another 20,000 jobs.

I recently began a journey across Canada as part of Vision 2025, an initiative started by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada to hear from industry leaders, educators and governments about what we need to do as a country to keep our aerospace sector strong and globally competitive.

Across the country, including during my meetings in Vancouver this week, I’ve heard the message loud and clear from hundreds of participants: For decades, Canada’s aerospace industry has been an economic powerhouse that’s punched above its weight in the global marketplace — but without a vision for the industry’s future, we’re at risk of losing it all.

Recognizing the critical role aerospace plays as an innovation leader and economic driver, other large aerospace economies like the U.K., U.S., France and Germany are investing heavily and strategically, and emerging economies are pouring resources into their aerospace sectors in an effort to secure the benefits we’ve enjoyed for so long. Faced with this global challenge, it’s critical that our governments at all levels take the same approach and ensure we have a specific and long-term aerospace, space and defence strategy in Canada.

We’ve made a good start toward this goal here in B.C. Five years ago, the provincial government partnered with AIAC to help unify and further develop the industry, with real results: More jobs and exports, increased R&D, and a higher GDP contribution that the government can leverage to invest in British Columbians’ priorities. That partnership continues today, proving that the importance of our industry transcends party lines.

And it’s important that we work together, because there are serious challenges in our industry that we need to meet head on.

The average age of an aerospace worker is 54. That’s a stunning number, and it shows just how much we need to do to recruit and train workers. As Industry 4.0 and shifts in advanced manufacturing create the next generation of aerospace jobs, we need to focus on training our existing employees in new methods and taking advantage of the opportunity to attract other manufacturing workers to the sector. It also shows how much work we must do to attract and retain young people out of school.

Additionally, sustained growth in passenger travel will continue to fuel demand. Over the next 15 years, it’s estimated that 40,000 new aircraft will be needed, creating nearly $10 trillion in work. Making sure that Canada is well positioned to secure our share of the pie, including diversifying into non-U.S. markets, will require vision and a commitment to act.

To paraphrase Wayne Gretzky, we need to skate to where the puck is going. Keeping ourselves focused on the future is the only way that we can manage the constant disruption and aggressive competition that are hallmarks of our times.

We have the opportunity to leverage our competitive advantages and come out ahead. But to do so, industry and government must come together behind a focused, longterm plan for the sector. Government policies and programs can play a huge role in our global competitiveness and we must be strategic about using them to drive the growth of an industry that provides 200,000 Canadian jobs in every region of the country and that generates $25 billion each year.

I’m looking forward to continuing my work with Vision 2025 and presenting the industry’s best advice for securing its future as a world-class aerospace nation. It’s true that B.C. punches above its weight when it comes to aerospace — but we need to put the industry in a whole new weight class to continue to compete.