Canada’s Aerospace Industry Hosts Successful Election Town Hall in Vancouver

VANCOUVER (BRITISH COLUMBIA), October 1, 2019 – The Aerospace Industry of Canada (AIAC) hosted the second of three Vision 2025 Election Town Hall meetings today in Vancouver.

Vision 2025 Chair, the Hon. Jean Charest, former Deputy Prime Minister and Quebec Premier moderated the all-candidate debate on the future of Canada’s aerospace sector.

 “It’s been a pleasure moderating these Town Halls.  The turnout we’re seeing is sending a clear message about the importance of the aerospace industry to Canada’s economic future.  With over 215,000 high-paying jobs in every region of the country, people rightly want to know that their political representatives are committed to ensuring its long-term competitiveness and viability. We must seize the opportunities that lie ahead for our industry or risk falling behind,” said Mr. Charest.

Today’s Election Town Hall featured high profile candidates from all major parties and was the latest step in AIAC’s Vision 2025 initiative.  Launched just over a year ago, Vision 2025 chair Jean Charest held cross-country consultations that resulted in the release of the report Charting a New Course in June 2019.  The report recommends six key priorities for prosperity, and a number of areas for further collaboration between Canada’s government and aerospace industry partners.  The report is a roadmap to ensure Canada will be a leader in an increasingly fierce competitive global economy.

The six priorities are:

• Building the most skilled and talented workforce in the world;
• Ensuring small and medium-sized businesses thrive and grow;
• Using innovation to capture new opportunities, including carbon-neutral flight and unmanned vehicles;
• Investing to maintain Canada’s status as a world-class regulator;
• Leveraging Canada’s role at the forefront of space;
• Maximizing defence procurement and government partnerships to drive new industrial growth.

“Ensuring Canada’s aerospace sector is well positioned to compete and succeed in the future crosses partisan lines. We are very pleased our Vision 2025 initiative is helping to focus attention on why the industry is so vital to Canada’s long-term economic health,” said Jim Quick, President and CEO of AIAC.  Global competition has never been tougher and Canada must step up to compete, or risk being left behind.”   

Candidates attending the Town Hall included:  The Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan of the Liberal Party, Hon. Ed Fast of the Conservative Party, Breen Ouellette of the NDP and Amita Kuttner of the Green Party.

More details on VISION 2025 are available at www.aiac.ca/vision2025 (English) or www.aiac.ca/fr/vision2025 (French)    

About AIAC:

AIAC is the national association representing Canada’s aerospace manufacturing and services sector.  As the world’s fifth-largest aerospace industry, Canada’s aerospace sector contributes over $25B to the economy in GDP, exports over 70% of its output, and dedicates nearly 20% of its activity to research and development (R&D). Aerospace is responsible for the employment of 213,000 Canadians.

About AIAC Pacific:

The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada founded AIAC Pacific in 2014 to promote and develop aerospace business in British Columbia by acting as an advocate for industry and facilitator with governments. Working in partnership with the Government of BC, AIAC Pacific is helping leverage the unique strengths of British Columbia’s aerospace industry to meet emerging global demand.

Media contact:

Christine Csversko
Manager, Communications & Marketing
Aerospace Industries Association of Canada
(613) 232-4297 x235
ccsversko@aiac.ca