Mr. Speaker, we have a world-class aerospace industry in Canada. We are ranked fifth in the world as an aerospace nation, but too little has been done to champion this sector.
The long-awaited space strategy, heralded by the government, was almost two years overdue. While we were waiting for it the Canadian aerospace industry shut jobs and was forced to pull out of high-profile projects because of a lack of funding.
Now we are dealing with COVID-19, which has upended the airline industry. Canadians have been left without refunds for cancelled flights, thousands of jobs have been lost and important air routes have been cancelled. Though other governments around the world immediately offered support for their airlines, the government did not acknowledge the crisis until eight months into the pandemic.
Our aerospace sector is a huge economic driver and offers well-paying jobs for Canadians. We must continue to support and champion this sector.