Volume 1: Beyond the Horizon: Canada's Interests and Future in Aerospace – November 2012

Part 4
Conclusion

Global trends in the first 12 years of the 21st century have had a major impact on Canada. Thanks in part to the country's rich endowment of natural resources, that impact has been largely favourable. But Canadian prosperity and stability are also the result of the creative energies of a skilled and educated population working in a range of advanced industries that are powered by innovation, audacity, and hard work. Prominent among these is the aerospace sector. Maintaining a healthy balance between resource extraction and advanced industries will be critical to economic growth and prosperity in the decades ahead.

This review has been occasioned by the recognition that conditions affecting the vitality and competitiveness of the Canadian aerospace sector have changed in fundamental ways, some threatening, some promising. The international environment is increasingly competitive, with new companies hosted by ambitious governments positioning to challenge incumbents, even as demand rises and a growing premium is placed on fuel efficiency and environmental stewardship.

At the same time, technological and economic transformations, the opening of the North, and the need to protect sovereignty and security in the face of new challenges provide opportunities for the aerospace sector to expand its business while contributing to the realization of Canada's national potential.

The Review has produced recommendations for responding to these realities in practical, meaningful ways, from better-targeted support for R&D, to stronger international agreements and economic diplomacy, to more astute procurement processes, to support for developing and maintaining a highly skilled workforce.

These recommendations are eminently realizable, if government acts on them—and if companies, research and academic institutions, and unions make the necessary investments, demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit, and collaborate effectively—the Canadian aerospace sector will flourish and perform to its full potential through the middle of the century.

We live in an age of short attention spans and immediate gratification. But a sector that requires a decade or more to design and build a new product is, of necessity, oriented towards the future. Success requires all partners not only to think about current conditions, but also to have the foresight to anticipate and react to what lies beyond the horizon.