Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Minister Navdeep Bains has left the Liberal cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The resignation required a shuffle of senior ministers and sees Marc Garneau moving from Transport to Foreign Affairs, François-Philippe Champagne moving from Foreign Affairs to ISED and Omar Alghabra, new to cabinet, takes over Transport. It’s billed as a small cabinet shuffle of senior Liberal ministers. That may be so, but it has an outsized impact on the space file.
Goodbye space minister
The cabinet shuffle was precipitated by the resignation of ISED Minister Bains who had decided not to run in the next election so he could spend more time with his family. Bains had held the key economic portfolio for five years and had first been a member of parliament in 2004 with a four year gap when he lost his seat in 2011 before winning again in 2015.
Bains was an admitted space fan. This certainly helped the space community and was a factor in Canada making a larger commitment to a Moon program.
Having served nearly 13 years as a member of parliament and with two younger children, and with the current pandemic gripping the world, he made the decision that it was time to move on and spend more time taking care of his family.
While Bains was a space fan, not everyone in the community was a fan of his. We heard grumbling from some prominently people but much of that had to do with decisions on where to spend limited funds. Not everyone was enamored with Canada’s decision to buy into the US led Moon program.
There will always be squabbles over funding. And while the government has a better understanding of the importance of the space sector, it still underfunds Canada’s civil space program.
My statement on my decision not to run in the next election and leaving cabinet:
Ma déclaration sur ma décision de ne pas me présenter aux prochaines élections et de me retirer du Conseil des ministres : pic.twitter.com/c5OKDgXmfE — Navdeep Bains (@NavdeepSBains) January 12, 2021
Setup for a spring election?
There is speculation that one reason Bains resigned from cabinet at this time was to make sure his departure would not interfere with a possible spring election call. Having made the decision not to run, it make senses to give the Liberal Party enough time to position themselves for an election. That election could come soon after the budget is announced. The government hasn’t been shy about its aggressive agenda, and there could be items in the budget that could push the opposition to trigger an election.
Assuming the opposition doesn’t force an election call, the only way most pundits see an election called this spring is if the pandemic is under control, vaccines are being properly distributed, and importantly, the economic outlook shows at least some promise.
What would a spring election mean for the space file? As a starter, government departments would go quiet. The business of running their departments would move forward with no disruptions. However, no new programs would be announced or funded.
For the space file that means if the Canadian Space Agency was planning on making new funding or strategy announcements related to Earth Observation or Astronomy initiatives, both of which are possible in their next fiscal year which starts April 1, they would have to hold off until a new government was in place and a budget approved.
Policy items such as regulatory reform would also be affected. Any decisions made prior to an election call would still be in effect. That includes two new Client Procedural Circular guides expected this month. However, any new reforms would have to wait on the outcome of the election. That could delay needed reforms.
François-Philippe Champagne and the space file
Champagne doesn’t appear to have any direct experience with the space file. Before entering politics he was a respected businessman, trained as a lawyer with a Bachelor of Laws from the Université de Montréal and a Master of Laws in American law from Case Western Reserve University. He entered politics in 2015 but prior to that was a Vice-President and Senior Counsel of ABB Group. ABB has a significant presence in Canada including a a division in Quebec City where they develop world class space hardware, with a particular emphasis on satellite weather instruments.
Lisa Campbell, the new president of the Canadian Space Agency, is also a trained lawyer. So there is some commonality there.
There are some pundits saying that Champagne’s move to ISED is a demotion. While Foreign Affairs is an important cabinet position, I would completely disagree with the assertion that it’s a demotion. I think that ISED is equally if not more more important. It deals with the economic impact on the lives of Canadians every day. The portfolio is so large and important that the Liberal government added three other ministers to work with the Minister. This includes; Mélanie Joly – Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages; Mary Ng – Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade; and Maryam Monsef – Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development.
Marc Garneau slides over to Foreign Affairs and Omar Alghabra takes over Transportation
Marc Garneau’s is a strong respected cabinet minister who moves over to a portfolio he is well suited to. He brings a wealth of international experience from his time in the Navy, as an astronaut working with the US and president of the Canadian Space Agency. He should have no issues getting up to speed with space aspects of the Global Affairs file.
Omar Alghabra is new to cabinet but has been building up his chops most recently as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister. Alghabra was trained as a mechanical engineer and has a Master of Business Administration.
A cabinet shuffle is an opportunity
The change of three ministers who have responsibilities that include the space file should be regarded as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to discuss how to move forward with the aspects of the space strategy that haven’t been acted upon. Combined with a new president at the Canadian Space Agency, it makes for a fresh start to 2021.