As I said earlier, the federal government made a strategic decision and a massive investment in the supercluster-based strategy. We proposed a solution, the creation of a nationwide aerospace supercluster, but it declined our offer. It therefore chose other superclusters, and our sector has since been experiencing significant problems.
You also have to consider direct foreign investment. The aerospace sector in Quebec currently consists of an enormous number of subsidiaries of multinational and large corporations such as Airbus, Thales, CMC Électronique and STELIA Aerospace. Those businesses have headquarters in other countries around the world, whether in the United States, Europe, France in particular or elsewhere. For the past four years, companies have decided to assign global contracts to their subsidiaries based on commitments by the governments of the countries where they invest.
They assess whether the government is clearly committed to the aerospace sector, whether it provides specific aerospace programs and whether it supports the sector's talent.
The fact that Airbus is established here in Quebec and operates across Canada through its subsidiaries is really an advantage.
How likely are we to be able to show Airbus that we support the aerospace sector through specifically targeted programs? What programs could potentially convince that company to innovate in hybrid propulsion, particularly involving hydrogen. There are four major engine builders in Quebec that might be interested in those projects.
I'd like to convince the federal government to introduce projects that mobilize players and provide structure for the aviation and aerospace sector of tomorrow. This project would help companies here go green and, especially, position Canada as the best place in the world to invest in aerospace and the green economy.