The ‘nitty-gritty’ details of Canadian government space policy dominated the second of three sessions at Horizons, the Space Canada conference held at Ottawa’s Bayview Yards on May 1 ,2024.
Éric Vachon, the Canadian Space Agency’s Acting VP of Corporate Strategy and Innovation and Chief Financial Officer led off the session. “As a government agency, we are faced with exciting opportunities, but also with some challenges,” he said. “One of them was the very difficult decision to close the David Florida Laboratory’s operations as of March 31st, 2025. This decision happened as part of the refocusing government spending exercise.”
This being said, the planned shutdown of Canada’s historic spacecraft assembly, integration, and testing centre may not come to pass — but only if industry steps in. “As of today, we are moving ahead with a process to issue a Request for Information to potentially lease the DFL facility in hopes of preserving capacity within the country and supporting Canada’s thriving space sector,” said Vachon.
Transport Canada’s efforts to develop an interim space launch regime was covered by Elsa Henchiri, the department’s Director of Safety Policy and Intelligence – Civil Aviation. “TC (Transport Canada) has structured its requirements for the authorization of launch as a series of six reviews,” she said. These reviews cover launch site safety, launch site security, liability insurance, payload, national security and defence, and upholding international obligations and foreign policy interests. “Basically what we’re going to expect is that the applicants will comply with existing laws and requirements,” said Henchiri. “This interim regime uses the current regulatory framework, [while] the requirements that we’re putting forward are to ensure that the safety, security, national interest — all those dimensions are fulfilled when the Minister of Transport approves a launch.”
For Canadian launch companies worried about the time required to apply for a Transport Canada launch authorization, Elsa Henchiri offered this advice. “We’ve learned from other launch states that pre-application discussions with prospective launch operators are the longest part of the process,” she said. “So, engage with us early so that we can start discussions and then you can ask for specific sessions with the TC and other departments to discuss specific items. When the applicant is ready to submit an application, TC will determine whether it’s complete enough to be accepted, but of course there’s always going to be time to come back. This is not a once process, it’s going to be a constant dialogue.”
The session was closed by Suzanne Wilkinson, Director of USA Operations with Canadian Commercial Corporation. Our country has a preferential relationship with our southern neighbour: “In the U.S. trade rules, Canada’s the only country that’s called out and specified as how to do acquisition with Canada,” said Wilkinson.
CCC helps Canadian companies sell to the U.S. Department of Defence through the Canada/U.S. Defense Production Sharing Agreement. It is now trying to leverage the DPSA to increase Canadian space equipment/services sales into that market. But making progress is not easy, even though the U.S. is open to buying from Canada. “Space is new to the (U.S.) defence world,” said Wilkinson. “They’re trying to reduce those policy barriers. It is going to take some time.”