Today is not only Sylvain Laporte’s last day as President of the Canadian Space Agency, it’s his last day working for government. He’s worked in service to Canada for nearly three decades, including the military. And while he’s retiring from government today and doing “retirement kind of things,” he’s not done working yet. First he’ll take some time off and then evaluate what opportunities might interest him, though it’s unlikely he’ll sign-on to any full time work. SpaceQ spoke to Mr. Laporte on Friday, September 4th to get a sense of what he thought had been accomplished in his time at the CSA.
His last day at CSA headquarters was Wednesday, September 2nd, and to hear him talk about it, it was emotional. When he closed his office door for the last time it wasn’t just about this job, but a career in the public sector.
Today, he’s working from his home office. Something he’s done a lot since the COVID-19 pandemic. That office is north of Ottawa in a remote part of the Gatineau region.
Knowing for six months when his last day was going to be has made it easier. “And I think that’s probably because I knew I had an end date, you know, any kind of prepared for that, and I’m very well prepared for what comes up next. Because I saw it coming, you know, I’ve actually started doing retirement kind of things.”
Sylvain Laporte, COVID-19 and the space community
To understand how Laporte approached his job and viewed the community, there’s an event that happened this spring that convinced even some his detractors that he was doing a good job. And while our interview was meant to focus on what he thought his accomplishments were and what he wished he could have done but simply ran out of time, I did surprise him with a question on COVID-19.
As the pandemic gripped the nation and people began to fear what was happening, Laporte saw a need to reach out to stakeholders. Offices were closing, people were losing their jobs, the economy looked like it was going to take a big hit, and people were scared.
Laporte told me he was concerned for stakeholders and he wanted to talk to them to try and reassure them that the CSA and the government were still working and would be working with stakeholders. So he started making calls, a lot of calls. SpaceQ spoke to some who had been called. They were happy that he was taking the time to reach out. And while he didn’t get a chance to all the stakeholders, he did reach quite a few.
“Today we feel a lot more comfortable. But back in March, April, we had no idea what was about to happen. And when you talk about, you know, the, the finances of small businesses, people were talking using words like you know, they’re running out of runway.”
“So, I needed to understand what you know, how the space tech sector was faring. So that I could guide help guide the government with you know, programs to be put in place and you know, factually provide information back to the ISED for example. So I needed to put my finger on the pulse of our of the various companies we have there, and as you know, is done with me economic reason, but there was also a human reason in terms of doing that.
“How are people faring? What kind of confinement situation they were in? Were they still able to operate, did they already let go of some their qualified staff. We needed to understand that human dimension of the situation.”
While this is just one example of what Laporte did in his time at the CSA, it does exemplify the character he brought to the job.
Low expectations and accomplishments
Towards the end of our interview, Laporte pointed out that when he was appointed that this publication, and in particular, that I was critical of his appointment. I don’t think we were overly critical at the time, but our view has changed over time.
Laporte has brought stability to the CSA, raised its profile and has boosted confidence in the Agency, nationally and internationally. This while working in a system, that in this publications opinion, makes it difficult for leaders of the Agency to work within the confines of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). There is some good news on this front, but that’s for an upcoming article.
So what did Laporte accomplish in his time at the CSA? To start, he becomes only the second appointee to serve a full term. That in and of itself brought stability to the CSA.
When Laporte started and within the first week he said that “I quickly grasped how the CSA works with industry. And I was very happy to see that all of the work is contracted out.” That pleased him, but what he saw next wasn’t going to cut it. Industry, according to Laporte, was giving him a list of projects they wanted funded and expected him to get the funding. That’s now how Laporte saw the relationship should be. Instead he told them during an event early in his tenure, that his job to “make sure that the government understands the value of investing in space.” Which is what he set out to do. And it worked. It took time, nearly his whole mandate, but he believes the fundamental understanding of the CSA and the dynamic with industry and ISED has changed, for the better.
He pointed out that the CSA contracted Euroconsult to conduct a Socio Economic Benefits of Space Utilization study in 2017. That study laid the groundwork in part for what would come later, including a new space strategy. And of course last year, after four years on the job he witnessed the Prime Minister and ISED Minister Bains announce $2.05 billion in funding over 24 years for Canada’s space program which included a focus on getting Canadian technology and astronauts on the Moon.
Working with industry to change the dynamic is one of the two major accomplishment Laporte cites in our interview. And it wasn’t just about helping them make the government understand the value of space. He also mentions that he wanted industry to be better positioned in the changing global commercial space marketplace. This included many trade missions in which he wanted to open more doors internationally for industry.
The second accomplishment he talks about is the next-generation workers in the space sector. “I’m really proud of is the investments we’ve made in building up the generation of tomorrow.”
One of the initiatives the CSA started under Laporte was offering the opportunity for students to compete to attend international conferences.
“We started to bring students at all of the international conferences … (And) because it was a competition, we were then allowed to provide offers to the students for internships for various work stages through the agency, and we would continue to nurture that relationship with the students. So what would have started as an attendance or conference in a lot of cases has resulted in those students now being employed full time as an indeterminant employee at the space agency. So we’re nurturing the students to eventually make them available for the space sector.”
Laporte also cites the FAST Program (Flights and Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology) and the Canadian CubeSat Project as programs that helped students as well as their professors.
Unfinished work
I also asked Laporte to cite one example of an initiative he didn’t get finished in his term that he wish he had.
What he said surprised me, but it shouldn’t have. It once again goes to the character of who he is.
“As a community, one of the things that we don’t do well is applaud our successes. So I had started an initiative, where on an annual basis, we would concentrate on an evening of celebration where we could in fact, provide different different prizes, and recognize people for different things.”
“You know, a bit like the the NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) awards and science awards and stuff of that nature. I think it’s going to be important that we find a way to come together as a community and applaud others. I think that’s a sign of a mature community. It will also serve as a motivator to engage people. And we’ll be able to celebrate people of all types, right, young students that are still very impressionable to lifetime awards for folks who could be in the 60’s and 70’s today.”
“So, you know, the pandemic is what actually prevented me from from completing that exercise, we had the begun looking at options for how we can do that. So that will be a regret of mine.”
In his final comments, Laporte said on working at the CSA, “it was the best job of my of my life.”
So as Laporte’s time at the CSA comes to an end, by no means is the work he started finished. However, now it’s up to his successor to carry on the work, including possibly creating a CSA “evening of celebration” as envisioned by Laporte. BTW, Laporte believes the new CSA President, Lisa Campbell, is up to the task of taking the Agency onward and upward.