Ottawa, ON – If Pierre Poilievre and his Conservative Party win the next federal government, it will could be bad news for the Canadian space industry. That was the view shared by analysts across the political spectrum in the panel discussion, ‘Canada’s Political Environment and What It Means for the Space Sector’ during day two of Space Bound 2024.
The public’s mood has certainly changed since Neil Armstrong’s 1969 Moon landing. That was an event that united the world. In 2024, “science has become a politically partisan issue,” said Shachi Kurl, President of the Angus Reid Institute polling firm. “You’ve got people who just simply reject science, they reject data, they reject expertise.”
In this partisan climate, policies that make scientific sense — such as taxing carbon emissions as part of a climate change mitigation strategy — can fall prey to anti-science Conservative slogans such as ‘axe the tax’. Those in the Canadian space industry “should be thinking about this in terms of the way you’re communicating about the space industry,” Kurl warned, including the notion that the public will support it “because it is the right thing to do.”
Reality check: According to the polling data, the majority of Canadians don’t care. Instead, “cost of living is the most important issue for every Canadian,” she told Space Bound attendees. This has been the case for 60% of Canadians over the past 18 months of polling.
This reality has spurred Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and his supporters to chant ‘axe the tax’ and ‘spike the hike’ slogans to play to those Canadians’ concerns. Their approach has been “incredibly politically and, from a communication standpoint, powerful,” said Kurl.
The result: “This may terrify you, but Canadians are not thinking about your sector and your industry,” she concluded. “They are thinking about their commutes, their kids, and how they’re going to make rent.”
The result: When it comes to federal government support for the Canadian space industry, “I would really worry about how Conservatives are going to think about these kinds of investments versus the current government,” said panellist Adam Bolek. He is, Principal Consultant with the Worldview Advisory and President/CEO of the Canada Strong and Free Network (formerly the Manning Centre, named for and created by Reform Party founder Preston Manning). “I suspect the Conservatives would be much more suspicious of that and much more focused on the bottom line of government; much more focused on support of their mandate.”
Assuming they win, this mandate would include affordability and getting rid the carbon tax,” Bolek said. “It’s tough to wedge space in there.”
So how can the Canadian space industry win support from a Poilievre government? The answer was provided in a May 3, 2024 Op Ed article published under his name in the National Post. “If you do have a policy proposal, don’t tell me about it. Convince Canadians that it’s good for them,” Poilievre is quoted as saying. “Fire your lobbyist. And go to the people.”
- Read more coverage from the Space Bound 2024 conference.