Atlantic Canada Aerospace and Defence Association (ACADA)

Catherine MacDonald
Manager, Communications and Membership
Tel: 902-483-5664



5151 George Street, Suite 502
Halifax, NS, B3J 1M5

Visit Website:
https://ac-ada.ca/

The Atlantic Canada Aerospace and Defence Association (ACADA) is a collaborative SME-focused organization representing the interests of the aerospace, defence and security industries in Atlantic Canada. ACADA is comprised of 170+ industry members and organizations across the region. The Association’s head office is located in Halifax, with Provincial Directors situated in Charlottetown, Fredericton, Halifax and St. John’s. ACADA’s activities are made possible in part by support from the Government of Canada, through ACOA.

Atlantic Canada employs 16% of the total Canadian aerospace industry and 14% of the total Canadian defence Industry. The region is home to a globally recognized aerospace, defence and security cluster, employing 10,000+ and generating $1.3B in GDP. ACADA’s overarching goal is to assist our members to achieve success: help them to scale, grow and further aggregate the already impressive economic impact of the A&D sector in Atlantic Canada.

The Association is initiating a coordinated and integrated approach to the sector development by focusing on highly targeted activities and service programming in four key areas:

  1. Workforce and Talent Development – to build the skills of the 21st century Aerospace, Defence and security workforce, supporting member needs by advancing workforce capacity development in the Region;
  2. Enhanced Competitiveness – to promote and facilitate business excellence approaches to help member companies more competitive;
  3. Business Development – to improve economic impact of business development opportunities through effective preparation and market access; and
  4. Industry Promotion – to serve as a collective voice to champion Atlantic Canadian interests in the Aerospace, Defence and Security Sector.

In December 2019 ACADA and Aéro Montréal signed a Collaboration Agreement to launch the MACH Initiative within Atlantic Canada.The agreement grants ACADA an exclusive license to use and to deploy the MACH Initiative (the licensed Trademarks associated with competitiveness and productivity certification for suppliers involved in the aerospace industry) within the region.