Policy

The Evening of Celebration and Inspiration, Celebrating 150 Years of Canadian Science Achievement, lived up to its title at the ninth annual Canadian Science Policy Conference in Ottawa. The lineup of fantastic featured speakers, as well as the presence of sensational scientists and policy makers made for a truly inspiring evening.

A year ago the Canadian Space Commerce Association hosted the first Canadian Space Policy Symposium. This year, post Space Advisory Board consultations, the space community will gather in Ottawa November 9th  to discuss further steps need in building Canada’s future in space.

It should not come as a surprise that space debris tops the list of issues in the 2017 edition of the Space Security Index.

The space industry is, quite literally, taking off. Commercial, for-profit actors mark the dawn of a new age of space – one pioneered not by governments, but by private sector trailblazers pushing the development of human space activity to new heights.

I have been prompted to write this Paper with the publication in August of the excellent Space Advisory Board’s (SAB) report titled Consultations on Canada’s Future in Space: What We Heard. This Paper is also the result of analyzing national space policies for many years.

Canada hasn’t had a National Space Policy since 1974. Currently the government is looking to announce a new Space Strategy this fall. Recently, the Space Advisory Board released its report after concluding consultations with stakeholders. On today’s show we’ll get insights on space policy from Graham Gibbs.

Continuing with our Summer Reading Series of articles or interviews that still have some relevance today, we present the June 2012 article I wrote, In the Absence of Government Leadership Canada’s Space Sector Faces Uncertain Future from Space Quarterly Magazine. 

Today the government released the findings of the recently completed Space Advisory Board consultations on Canada’s upcoming new Space Strategy.  The Space Advisory Board report put forward two recommendations  based on six key themes.

“We’re on a cliff.” That’s how Don Osborne, President of MDA’s Information Systems in Canada, described the current status in Canada without a new space strategy in place. But before you get too alarmed, Osborne did say he’s optimistic that the government is listening, which suggests that a new meaningful space strategy is forthcoming.

On Friday, July 28 Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Minister Navdeep Bains met with the Space Advisory Board to discuss the results of the recent space strategy consultations.