The manufacturer Saab intends to settle in Montreal and create 3,000 jobs here if it obtains the contract to supply the fighter planes of the Royal Canadian Air Force. For the Swedish company, this choice is based on the fact that Quebec has a highly qualified workforce in the fields of aerospace and defense, as well as partners, suppliers and researchers with great expertise in aerospace.
Did some still doubt it? The quality of our aerospace industry is recognized worldwide. It is of course a great source of pride, but above all a powerful vector of wealth creation. Probably even bigger than one can imagine.
According to the State of the Aerospace Industry in Canada report published on November 26, the Canadian aerospace industry contributed more than $ 22 billion to GDP in 2020, or $ 6.2 billion less than in 2019, before the pandemic. It also represents 207,000 jobs in Canada and 75% of its products are destined for export. It is the field which, among all the manufacturing industries, maintains the first place in research and development. And 60% of all Canadian aerospace manufacturing is here in Quebec.
When we know that for every 10 manufacturing jobs, we create 7 jobs in the services, we can easily imagine the importance of this industry.
In addition, the great diversity found within the Canadian aerospace sector, particularly our strength in manufacturing business aircraft, has certainly helped to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. It was also noted that business jets are “a competitive advantage for Canada, and provide a solid springboard for recovery and job creation”.
The Bombardier example
Bombardier’s commercial success in the business aviation sector is well established and contributes significantly to Quebec’s reputation in the aerospace industry. Consider the Global 7500 program, a high-end business jet, whose manufacturing activities are mainly carried out in Quebec.
PHOTO DAVID BOILY, PRESS ARCHIVES
Global 7500 business aircraft
The American NetJets took delivery of one a few days ago in Montreal, representing an impressive milestone since it was the 1000e Global that Bombardier was delivering. Moreover, a study recently carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that between 2010 and 2019, the development of the Global 7500 program alone supported the creation of 3,386 full-time jobs on average per year.
In addition, through its manufacturing activities under the Global 7500 program, Bombardier should generate annual GDP spinoffs of $ 2 billion in Canada and support the creation of 8,456 quality jobs on average per year.
This perfectly illustrates the innovative nature of the aerospace sector and its structuring action on our economy.
A sector of the future to be preserved
It should therefore come as no surprise that the countries that can count on an efficient aerospace industry deploy significant resources to promote its development. And this support is more grounded than ever.
Continuing to innovate is a necessity. Let us think in particular of the issue of carbon neutrality, which is becoming central and of the necessary shift required to remain competitive on an international scale. And this at a time when the Canadian aerospace sector has not yet regained its pre-pandemic vigor.
We can and should all be proud of our aerospace industry. The elements are already in place. Our governments, however, must ensure that this industry is maintained vigorously and that it is properly supported.
This is how already established aerospace companies will continue to generate wealth, so that Quebec can remain attractive to new players and that our successes will again be cited as an example around the world.