Space Advisory Board

On October 17, 2016, the Government of Canada initiated plans to renew the Space Advisory Board, and the Department launched an open, merit-based application process for the selection of members.

The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced on April 18, 2017 the renewed board. These talented and diverse individuals from industry, the academic and research communities, and the not-for-profit sector have been appointed based on their significant knowledge of, and expertise in, the space sector.

The Board is chaired by Dr. Marie Lucy Stojak, Director of the School on Management of Creativity and Innovation at HEC Montréal. The members of the board are:

  • Dr. James Drummond, Professor, Dalhousie University
  • William MacDonald Evans, President, W. MacDonald Evans Consulting Inc.
  • Stéphane Germain, President and CEO, GHGSat Inc.
  • Dr. Douglas Hamilton, Clinical Associate Professor of Internal Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Calgary
  • Kate Howells, Global Community Outreach Consultant, The Planetary Society
  • Michelle Mendes, Executive Director, Canadian Space Commerce Association
  • Dr. Gordon Osinski, Associate Professor, Western University and Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Chair in Earth and Space Exploration
  • Michael Pley, President, Pley Consulting Inc. and Chair of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada's Space Committee
  • Dr. Afzal Suleman, Canada Research Chair in Computational and Experimental Mechanics and Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Centre for Aerospace Research, University of Victoria
  • Christine Tovee, independent consultant

Complete biographies

The Space Advisory Board was renewed to advise the Government of Canada on long-term objectives for space and to engage with Canadians. This initiative is part of the Government’s Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying jobs for the middle class.

Engagement activities

As a part of the Government's Innovation and Skills Plan, the Space Advisory Board has been engaging with Canadians to help support the development of a new vision for Canada's space sector and to define key elements of a space strategy. The Board's input will inform a strategy, which will focus on using space to drive broader economic growth and innovation, while inspiring the next generation of space scientists.

Consultation Paper for the Space Advisory Board: Driving Canada's Future in Space - HTML version or PDF version (1.6MB)

Roundtables

The Space Advisory Board conducted a series of roundtables by invitation only, to engage stakeholders on Canada's space sector. Summaries of each roundtable will be posted to this page as they become available.

On behalf of the Space Advisory Board, we thank you for participating in the roundtable events and for sharing your ideas.

A Report on Consultations

The Space Advisory Board’s report, titled Consultations on Canada’s Future in Space: What We Heard summarizes the feedback board members received from stakeholders during the public consultations.

Interested in providing input?

We invited Canadians to contribute their views and to participate in the consultation process, led by the Space Advisory Board. Both individuals and groups were encouraged to contribute their views. This initial consultation period is now closed. We thank you for your input.

The Government of Canada is committed to stakeholder engagement and wants to hear your views. If you would like to provide input to the Space Advisory Board on Canada’s future and long-term priorities for space, please send correspondence in electronic format to the following email address: ic.sab-cce.ic@canada.ca.