Canada will be investing in space technology and other aerospace innovation, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said during a speech Friday in Abbotsford.
Sajjan was delivering a keynote address to close the 2017 Aerospace, Defence & Security Expo at Tradex. The annual event is held in conjunction with the Abbotsford Airshow and brings around 1,000 people with ties to the commercial, security and military aerospace industries.
Sajjan, who served in the Canadian Forces, said he was inspired by watching planes fly overhead while picking berries in Abbotsford as a child.
He promised that the federal government will collaborate with the aerospace industry and said his government is committed to fostering innovation.
And he said those fighting wildfires across B.C. are “in our prayers and in our hearts.”
He also spoke of Canada’s excellence in producing flight simulators.
On Thursday, Sajjan’s Conservative counterpart was in town and spoke at a breakfast meeting.
MP James Bezan criticized the Liberal government in his remarks, saying, “If a country is not prepared to defend itself, then it is not prepared to be a country.
“Canada has to have the right programs and the right missions all within a comprehensive security strategy. Unfortunately, the Liberals have failed on all these counts.”
@HarjitSajjan: says he was pleasantly surprised to learn Canada was no. 2 on cutting edge of space tech (US #1)
— Kelvin Gawley (@KelvinGawley) August 11, 2017
Says Canada must invest to stay on the cutting edge.
— Kelvin Gawley (@KelvinGawley) August 11, 2017