For a couple of years now we’ve heard that a new national space industry association was being contemplated by several companies. Today, Space Canada was unveiled and is being led by the former Premier of New Brunswick, Brian Gallant, who is its founding Chief Executive Officer. SpaceQ had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Gallant ahead of the announcement.
A very, very short history and founding members
The founding members of Space Canada include Calian, GHGSat, Magellan Aerospace, Maritime Launch Services, MDA, Mission Control Space Services, NorthStar Earth & Space, SpaceBridge and Telesat.
In terms of heavyweights, two organizations stand out, MDA and Telesat. It wasn’t long ago these organizations were important members of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC). However, for several years now there’s been a sense within the space community that the AIAC wasn’t spending enough time on space issues. That led to a fracture, and today’s announcement is the result.
So it will come as no surprise that the initial Board of Directors includes Dan Goldberg, CEO of Telesat, as Chair with Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA, as Vice-Chair. Rounding our the board is Ewan Reid, CEO of Mission Control Space Services, as Treasurer.
Both Goldberg and Greenley spoke to the need for the new association in a press release.
Dan Goldberg said “The global space sector is experiencing exponential growth and governments all around the world are prioritizing and investing heavily in the sector, triggering a new global space race. Fortunately, Canada has long been a leader in the space sector and is well positioned to capture the explosive growth in the industry to grow our economy and create high quality jobs. Now is the time to be ambitious, work together and position Canada at the forefront of the New Space Economy.”
Mike Greenley added “From small to large, Canada’s space companies are looking to position the sector as a driver of growth, jobs, innovation, intellectual property and exports that will contribute to a future for our country that knows no bounds. It is time to re-establish Canada’s leadership in space on the world stage in collaboration with government, which plays a key role in space as a developer, owner, operator and regulator of space systems, as a funding partner, investor and anchor customer to innovative Canadian space companies.”
Goldberg and Greeley both speak to global growth and leadership, though on leadership they cite two different but related goals. In Goldberg’s statement he states “now is the time to be ambitious,” while Greenley says “It is time to re-establish Canada’s leadership in space on the world stage in collaboration with government.” Neither of these are subtle hints to government. Read the latest Canadian Space Agency State of the Canadian Space Sector 2020 report and you’ll understand why Space Canada thinks the government needs to pay more attention and be active.
Why Gallant, and what’s priority number one
Galant wasn’t looking to to lead Space Canada. But as often is the case, an opportunity was presented and he went with. In this case, a third party approached Gallant to see if he was interested. He was.
To understand why Gallant took the job you need to know where he’s coming from. Yes, he was Premier of New Brunswick and that plays a part, but his most recent job was CEO of the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation. Gallant told me that the not-for profit organization was focused on “how businesses and other organizations have a role to play when it comes to addressing societal and planetary challenges.”
Well that seems like a good fit for the space sector. After all, the overwhelming majority of space activities are focused on Earth, and not just for commercial gain, but to benefit society. Gallant isn’t leaving the Canadian Centre altogether, he’ll remain an advisor.
Gallant cited two reasons for joining Space Canada. “Like many Canadians, I want to see a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world. And the power in which space has to be able to contribute to that is immense, so very interested, fascinated and excited about the prospects of what space can and hopefully will do to address economic, societal and planetary challenges.”
His second reason is where his government experience will come into play. “I believe in public policy. I’m passionate about public policy, and more specifically, the role that we all have to play in different institutions have to play in advancing solid public policy. So the idea of working with businesses, organizations, academia, and of course, governments, NGOs, the list goes on, to advance an important topic really excites me as well.”
With respect to priorities he addressed by talking about the macro view and citing a specific priority.
On the macro view he said “I just truly believe that the more that Canadians, government officials, other key stakeholders in the country, and all of this would apply internationally as well, the more that people are aware of what space can do to help us overcome challenges that we face and seize immense opportunities. It will, by nature, ensure that it’s a priority.”
As for an immediate priority, Gallant said Space Canada will focus on convincing government that it should create a National Space Council with the Prime Minister as its chair.
Why a National Space Council? And with the Prime Minister as chair?
“Other countries have similar initiatives chaired by by the highest levels of government… and space is so important on many levels to Canada in the world. That is not one department that can embody everything that we can do in space, and everything we need to do in space. So we really have many departments that have to play a role. And obviously, it’s normal for any organization, when that’s the case that it’s a little more complicated to attribute the right funds to advance the right policies and create the right programs. So (a) Space Council will help us be able to ensure that government is able to have all departments rowing in the same direction and it also has the added benefit of bringing the sector together with government to have very timely and significant dialogue to advance the sector. And then lastly, I mean, implicitly, it will show to Canadians and to key stakeholders and maybe some competition around the world that Canada is taking this seriously. And it’s a symbol, and a signal that Canada is going to be prioritizing and doing everything it can to harness space. So for all those reasons, that will be the the sort of first focus of space Canada.”
The organization will be based out of Ottawa though Gallant will telecommute and live in Moncton. He also planning a cross-country tour to speak with stakeholders. The organizations is small for now, just Gallant with the support of the Board and members, but he said that support is tremendous. He does plan on expanding the organization as funds become available. Space Canada will also be holding events going forward, though there are no details available yet.
The organization has a new website along with a Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube channel.
Below is their introductory video.