The Machinists ‘ union meets the AIAC and Jean Charest – The future of the aerospace industry in Canada is in the hands of Ottawa

Montreal, February 21, 2019 – As part of the IAMAW’s ongoing efforts to raise public awareness on the state of the aerospace industry in Canada and the urgency required to maintain Canada’s global competitiveness, IAMAW representatives met with the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC), Jim Quick and the former premier of Quebec, Jean Charest. They were able to discuss their concerns and vision of aerospace for more than an hour, with representatives of the Machinists’.

Our meeting with the AIAC, has confirmed that we are not alone in recognizing that a national aerospace strategy is needed. The two major issues that we raised in our report, “Grounded potential,” which are the shortage of skilled labour and the lack of a cohesive national aerospace strategy were echoed by the AIAC. The Quebec coordinator of the Machinists ‘ Union, David Chartrand, expressed his enthusiasm about the possibility of coordinated efforts to address the problems facing the industry once the AIAC officially publishes its Report, “Vision 2025”.

The meeting resulted in us realizing that we had common interests and recognized many of the same issues. “Once the AIAC has published its report, it is possible that we will be working together on a number of issues,” explains David Chartrand. In fact, our two organizations hope that the aerospace industry will be part of the focus of the next federal campaign.

Following the release of the IAMAW’s report, “Grounded Potential” and the AIAC meeting, is the campaign to bring the government’s attention to the aerospace industry by lobbying on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. In fact, on the 25th and 26th of February a delegation of more than 70 representatives of the machinists union will be meeting with MP’s and Senators to raise awareness on the contents of their report.

From left: Dave Chartrand, IAM Quebec Coordinator,
Jean Charest, former Premier of Quebec
Ivana Saula, IAM Canadian Research Director
Jim Quick, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC)