The pandemic clearly had an impact. Earlier I mentioned that the average age of our members in the aerospace sector was closer to retirement age than their age when they were first hired, if I can put it that way. Having gone through the pandemic, many workers who had 20 or 25 years' experience were laid off. They simply decided to throw in the towel and find another occupation. There was a loss of trust.
It's not true that this is a declining industry that's bound to disappear. The Canadian government has a role to play in rebuilding that trust by becoming a partner in this ecosystem, supporting jobs in the industry and being the ambassador of the Canadian aerospace industry around the world by relying on the products that are made here.
For example, Canada will be replacing its CC-150 Polaris aircraft, which are used to transport troops and refuel fighter aircraft. A single company, Airbus, with its refuelling tanker aircraft, has been selected to take part in the bidding. The contract is worth $5 billion. That will have to be negotiated. Could the impact of that contract actually support the Airbus operations already established in Canada, such as those of its A220 program? Can an improved A220 become the next aircraft that transports Canadian government representatives? That's something that should probably be discussed with Airbus.
This is the kind of project and the kind of vision that Canada must put forward to promote its products. It's not as though it has never done this or isn't doing it now. For example, Challenger aircraft are already in service in the Royal Canadian Air Force. However, we should do more and do better by building our strategy around an industrial policy specifically designed for the aerospace industry. It should include an innovation and training component and anticipate technological changes in the industry. We have to adopt an approach designed to make the industry more resilient so it's less vulnerable to crises. We also have to begin a green shift within the industry.
A lot of good things are being done in Canada right now, but they aren't being done in a concerted way or in accordance with an industrial policy. It's quite simple: we have to increase cooperation in the sector by developing a policy specifically for it. I think the initiatives targeting the industry right now are too scattered.