Opinion

Canada and the United States share a deep history of collaboration in space.

Ironically, on the eve of its anniversary this week, hearing that Canada was the third nation in space again causes me to want eat my own liver – not because the feat is not notable or something not to be proud of, but because often it is brought forward under the wrong context. We should not be asking “why Canada cannot keep doing these great …

The Canadian Space Commerce Association is no longer. Long live the Canadian Space Commerce Association.

In a world where news is disseminated seemingly at light speed globally, why is it that government departments and ministers make Canadians wait months before making an announcement on a decision that’s already been made?

By: Michelle Hanlon, co-founder, For All Moonkind, Inc. “Made on Earth by humans,” proudly proclaims the circuit board of the “midnight cherry” Tesla Roadster launched into space on SpaceX’s game-changing Falcon Heavy. In the glove box are, among other things, a copy of Douglas Adams’ iconic Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a towel (of course) and a tiny quartz storage disc, prepared by the Arch …

By: Rob Thacker, Saint Mary’s University and Matt Dobbs, McGill University. Canada was among the early leaders in the space race, becoming the 3rd nation to have a satellite in orbit with the launch of the Alouette mission in 1962, aboard a US launch vehicle. For over 50 years our federal strategy has been to achieve our space goals through tight partnerships with other nations.

The Liberals rightly criticized the Conservatives for not being transparent when they were the government. Now that the Liberals are in power, they plan on following through with their promise to update the Access to Information Act. The problem? Bill C-58 will result in a less transparent government in which the government decides what the public should know.

Between April 24-28 of this year China and Canada met in Ottawa for the second exploratory discussions on a possible free trade agreement. If Canada moves forward with negotiating a free trade agreement it must ensure that Canada’s domestic space sector is adequately protected, unlike the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) agreement with the European Union.

They blew it. Plain and simple. The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) press conference yesterday was billed by the CSA as a funding announcement and the event included two senior cabinet ministers. So you would think the announcement would be more substantive. Unfortunately the hype didn’t meet expectations.  

Today, Canada’s new Space Advisory Board will meet for the first time and a government dedicated to being open and transparent should follow NASA’s example, and make most Board meetings open to the public, either in person or by teleconference.