Volume 2: Reaching Higher: Canada's Interests and Future in Space – November 2012
Table of contents
- Letter to the Minister
- Review Head and advisors
- Acknowledgements
- Note on data sources
- Executive Summary
- Part 1 – Review mandate and process
- Part 2 – Context
- Part 3 – Analysis and recommendations
- Part 4 – Conclusion
- Appendix A – List of research reports
- Appendix B – List of submissions
Letter to the Minister
The Honourable Christian Paradis
Minister of Industry
Dear Minister,
I am pleased to submit Reaching Higher: Canada's Interests and Future in Space, volume 2 of my report pursuant to the mandate given to me as Head of the Review of Aerospace and Space Programs and Policies. Volume 1, entitled Beyond the Horizon: Canada's Interests and Future in Aerospace, focuses on the aerospace sector.
The over-arching objective of this volume is to outline the foundations for a Canadian Space Program that helps unlock the country's wealth, improves delivery of public services, supports environmental sustainability, and protects public safety. Canada was one of the first nations in space, and over the coming decades our prosperity and security will depend more than ever on designing, building, and operating an optimal mix of space assets and services.
I have aimed to produce a report that is evidence-based, grounded in a long-term perspective on global and industry trends, innovative, and practical. The report summarizes the Review's findings and sets out broad policy directions. Many of the details underlying its analysis and recommendations can be found in working group reports, research reports, and submissions posted on the Review's website.
It has been an honour to serve as Review Head. I hope the advice contained in these volumes will prove helpful to the government, and thank you for the opportunity to lead the Review.
Yours sincerely,
David Emerson
Review Head and advisors
Aerospace Review Head
Advisory Council Members
Acknowledgements
A policy development process like the Aerospace Review requires the involvement of a large number of experts and stakeholders. The approach of the Review has been to operate to a high level of transparency, independence, and engagement with interested parties while respecting the Review's clear mandate and timelines. As a result, many were called upon to provide input and support on short notice.
I am very grateful to everyone who answered that call in so exemplary a manner.
Let me begin by expressing my appreciation to the members of my Advisory Council: Sandra Pupatello, Jim Quick, and Jacques Roy. Their professionalism, positive attitude, and wise counsel made our meetings, consultations, and deliberations both productive and enjoyable. Much of what is said in this report reflects their insights and advice.
I would also like to thank the many representatives of the aerospace and space industries, research and academic communities, unions, and provincial governments who chaired or participated in working groups, attended roundtables, hosted my colleagues and me on site visits, met with us bilaterally, and sent in written submissions. I know that for all of you, these activities came on top of your day jobs, and I am grateful for your willingness to contribute your time and expertise.
Special mention must be made of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada. The Association's board and staff were instrumental in informing aerospace and space companies about the Review and helping to organize the industry-led, multi-stakeholder working groups whose discussions and recommendations have been so important to the Review.
I am appreciative of the willingness of business people, researchers, and government officials in other countries to meet with my colleagues and me during fact-finding trips abroad, and to speak frankly about their own plans and challenges.
The Review also benefited tremendously from information and ideas offered by Canadian public servants from a wide range of departments and agencies in the context of briefing sessions, working groups, and site visits.
Finally, my thanks to the Aerospace Review Secretariat under the leadership of Scott Streiner. The Secretariat provided outstanding support and advice over the intense 11-month period from the initial preparations for the Review to the release of this report. Producing a public policy product covering such a wide range of issues and points of view, and doing so on time and on budget, has been a remarkable achievement.
Having identified many of those whose contributions made the Review possible, let me conclude by emphasizing that I take full responsibility for the findings and recommendations in both volumes of the report.
David Emerson
