April 23, 2020 | Local, Security, Other Defence

Le stratagème du ministre Harjit Sajjan pour dégoter des respirateurs

(Ottawa) Le ministre de la Défense Harjit Sajjan a pu déjouer les velléités protectionnistes de l'administration Trump et obtenir 200 respirateurs destinés au Canada qui étaient retenus à Boston gr'ce aux liens qu'il a pu établir avec le Pentagone au cours des cinq dernières années.

Publié le 21 avril 2020 à 4h00

Selon des informations obtenues par La Presse, les respirateurs en question sur lesquels les autorités canadiennes voulaient mettre la main ne devaient plus quitter le territoire américain à la suite de la décision du président des États-Unis Donald Trump d'invoquer le Defence Production Act (DPA), une loi qui remonte à la guerre de Corée et qui permet à l'administration d'imposer des conditions aux manufacturiers américains, par exemple le type de produits qu'ils fabriquent en priorité, et d'en limiter les exportations.

Le président Trump a récemment invoqué cette loi pour empêcher la société américaine 3M d'exporter des masques N95 vers le Canada et des pays d'Amérique latine. Cette décision, qui a soulevé l'ire des autorités canadiennes, et en particulier du premier ministre de l'Ontario Doug Ford, a toutefois été partiellement infirmée une semaine plus tard, et l'entreprise a pu reprendre ses exportations vers le Canada.

En coulisses, le ministre Sajjan et ses conseillers ont pu contourner les obstacles érigés par le président américain afin d'obtenir les 200 respirateurs flambants neufs en demandant aux Forces armées canadiennes de procéder à leur achat.

« Le ministre et son équipe ont persuadé le Pentagone de les envoyer au Canada. On leur a dit qu'il fallait que la commande soit faite par les Forces armées canadiennes et le Pentagone, en raison des alliances militaires existantes, avait l'autorisation de procéder à l'envoi des respirateurs », a expliqué une source gouvernementale.

La Presse a accordé l'anonymat à cette source parce qu'elle n'avait pas l'autorisation de discuter publiquement de ce dossier.

« C'est tout de même remarquable ce qui a été fait dans ce dossier. [...] C'est d'autant plus vrai que les relations canado-américaines représentent tout un défi en raison de la crise et que les choses risquent d'empirer encore au sud de la frontière », a ajouté cette source digne de foi.

D'un commun accord, le Canada et les États-Unis ont annoncé en fin de semaine que la frontière entre les deux pays allait demeurer fermée pour les voyages non essentiels pour une autre période de 30 jours, soit jusqu'au 21 mai.

Ces 200 respirateurs font partie des quelque 400 appareils obtenus par le gouvernement fédéral qui ont été distribués aux provinces au cours des dernières semaines, selon nos informations. Il a été impossible d'obtenir le nombre de respirateurs qui a été remis à chacune des provinces par Ottawa.

Au bureau du ministre Sajjan, un proche collaborateur n'a pas voulu commenter l'intervention en coulisses du ministre, préférant braquer les projecteurs sur l'ensemble du gouvernement fédéral durant la crise de la pandémie de COVID-19. « Le ministre a d'excellentes relations avec son homologue de la Défense aux États-Unis. Il s'agit d'un travail d'Équipe Canada », a notamment affirmé ce proche collaborateur, qui a requis l'anonymat.

Récemment, le premier ministre Justin Trudeau a annoncé que le gouvernement fédéral avait conclu des ententes avec des entreprises canadiennes comme Thornhill Medical et CAE, entre autres, afin d'acheter 30 000 respirateurs fabriqués au Canada.

À la reprise des travaux de la Chambre des communes, lundi, M. Trudeau a indiqué que l'on s'attend à ce qu'une première commande de respirateurs soit livrée en mai.

M. Trudeau a d'ailleurs dû expliquer aux Communes pourquoi une agence fédérale avait jeté aux ordures quelque 2 millions de masques N95 et 440 000 gants qui se trouvaient dans un entrepôt de la Réserve nationale stratégique d'urgence (RNSU), qui a pignon sur rue à Regina, au printemps dernier, comme l'a révélé la semaine dernière une enquête de la CBC.

La RNSU, qui relève du gouvernement fédéral, permet aux provinces et aux territoires d'obtenir des équipements médicaux qui s'y trouvent en cas de crise sanitaire comme une pandémie.

Le premier ministre a indiqué que ces équipements étaient périmés depuis au moins cinq ans, mais il a affirmé que l'on doit revoir les protocoles d'utilisation afin de remettre ces équipements aux provinces pour les utiliser avant qu'ils atteignent la date limite d'utilisation de cinq ans. Cela devrait permettre à l'agence de renouveler son stock en quantité suffisante pour affronter les crises comme celle que l'on vit en ce moment.

https://www.lapresse.ca/covid-19/202004/20/01-5270187-le-stratageme-du-ministre-harjit-sajjan-pour-degoter-des-respirateurs.php

On the same subject

November 7, 2017 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR

Esterline CMC Electronics and NovAtel® partner on new aviation certified GNSS Receiver
(Montreal, QC and Calgary, AB, Canada, November 7, 2017) - Esterline CMC Electronics and NovAtel Inc. (NovAtel) are pleased to announce a new strategic partnership, extending their collaboration in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning technology that started in the late 1990s. The partnership will see NovAtel's industry-leading GNSS measurement technology integrated into a new Esterline CMC-designed multi-constellation, multi-frequency (MCMF) chipset for certified aviation use. The DO-254 Level A certified chipset will allow both companies to develop new GNSS receiver solutions for use in a variety of safety critical applications, including DO-178C Level A certified products designed for commercial aviation, military and unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Combining the world-class capabilities of NovAtel's GNSS expertise with Esterline CMC's aviation and certification experience will allow the companies to bring innovative solutions to the market, meeting the requirements of new and evolving industry standards as the modern age of MCMF GNSS positioning in aviation is ushered in. As two industry-leading technology companies, NovAtel and Esterline CMC will combine their complementary resources to deliver competitive solutions that will establish a new standard for excellence in this exciting application space. John Studenny, Director Aviation GPS Products at Esterline CMC Electronics, said: Esterline CMC and NovAtel have a highly successful and growing relationship built on the strengths of both companies often described as “1+1 yields 3!”. While Esterline CMC Electronics is an acknowledged industry leader with its reliable, dependable, DAL-A certified CMA-5024 and CMA-6024 landing system receivers, our company will usher in a new generation of high-performance Multi-Constellation-Multi-Frequency (MCMF) GNSS products certified to the highest levels, supporting current and new aircraft GNSS precision approach.” Jonathan Auld, Vice President of Engineering and Safety Critical Systems at NovAtel said “We are proud to extend our long-standing and successful collaboration with Esterline CMC Electronics. We believe that this partnership will strengthen the technology portfolio of both companies. NovAtel is a major supplier of precise GNSS technology to mission-critical military and civilian UAS, for example, and with this new, certified chipset we will extend our solution portfolio with assured positioning solutions to meet the emerging industry standards.” https://www.novatel.com/about-us/news-releases/news-releases-2017/esterline-cmc-electronics-and-novatel-partner-on-new-aviation-certified-gnss-receiver/
August 13, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

Canadian Space Agency Prepares for Busy Six Months of Industry Events
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is seemingly doing more industry events these past few years than in the past, and the next six months will see up six events scheduled. The upcoming events are: September 16 – 20: CSA 2019 Fall Industry days – Canadian industry stakeholders will have the opportunity to explore the Lunar Gateway Program and meet with international primes to discuss potential partnerships at CSA Headquarters in Saint-Hubert. QC. More information released coming soon. October 17 – 18: CSA International Industry Days – Canadian industry will have the opportunity to meet with representatives of German and Brazilian space industries, governments and military at CSA Headquarters in Saint-Hubert, QC. More information released coming soon. October 21 – 25: International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2019 – Satellite Canada Innovation Network Inc. (SatCan) is leading the Canada Pavilion at the 70th International Astronautical Congress 2019 being held in Washington, DC. Over 4,000 people are expected as the Americans put on a show for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission. February 2020: Investment Space 2020 – The inaugural InvestmentSpace event last February was very successful so the CSA is planning the next edition for February 2020. Exact dates and location TBC. The CSA is also planning possible delegations to Australia and Japan depending on industry interest. Australia: GEO Ministerial, 4-9 November 2019, Canberra Last year, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Australian Space Agency (ASA) that establishes a cooperative framework for joint activities, exchange of expertise, greater cooperation in the areas of research and development, academic exchange and industry collaboration. In line with the agreement, the CSA is considering a mission to Australia on the margins of the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) Ministerial Summit and Industry Track (detailed information attached) in Canberra. This could take various forms, including 1) Outreach Program and 2) Booth where you can exhibit your products. In addition, GEO events may provide opportunities to network with potential Asian partners and with the Digital Africa Initiative. If there is enough interest, the CSA could work with Trade Commissioner Service in Australia to develop an outreach program, including meetings with Australia Space Agency senior officials and B2Bs with Australian companies. Expo space (Canada Booth) during GEO week could be arranged if there is enough interest from the Canadian space industry. For 2019 the GEO Secretariat is introducing a new Associate Member category designed to encourage industry's participation in GEO. Associate Members would be invited to participate in GEO Plenaries, thus providing insights into the data and information needs of the GEO community to potentially inform investments and gain access to market opportunities in the GEO member states. Canada's lead for GEO, Environment and Climate Change Canada, would have to provide Canadian companies with a Letter of Support to become an Associate Member (the CSA could facilitate this process). Would you be interested in participating in this mission? YES/NO Would you be interested in participating in a Canadian booth at the Expo? YES/NO Would you be interested in becoming a GEO Associate Member? YES/NO Japan: Option 1 – CSA-led Mission and attendance to DSEI, 18-19 November 2019, Chiba and Tokyo This potential mission could be co-organized between CSA and Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), and would include participation to the DSEI and access to Canadian Pavilion organized by CADSI . DSEI Japan would be an important defence event and will bring together participants from the global defence and security sector, as well as the Japanese defence community to explore partnerships, innovative projects and share knowledge. The CSA could work with Trade Commissioner Service Tokyo to develop an additional space-focused outreach program to include site visits and meetings with senior JAXA officials and Japanese industry sector organisations, on the margins of DSEI event. Would you be interested to participate in this mission? YES/NO Would you be interested to be part of CADSI Canadian Pavilion during DSEI event: YES/NO Japan: Option 2 – CSA-led Stand Alone Mission (end of January – early February 2020), Tokyo The CSA could develop a space-focused outreach program with the Trade Commissioner Service to include site visits and meetings with senior JAXA officials and Japanese industry sector organisations; the approximate duration of this mission would be 1 week. Would you be interested to participate in this mission? YES/NO If interested in the Australia or Japan opportunities, the CSA was looking for responses to these questions by last Friday emailed to asc.relationsindustrie-industryrelations.csa@canada.ca. As well they were asking you to include specific areas of interest (your interested in) to ensure that outreach programs and meetings with foreign government officials are relevant to your needs. http://spaceq.ca/canadian-space-agency-prepares-for-busy-six-month-of-industry-events/
September 19, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

Skies Magazine October/November 2018 Issue
ADAPTING ON THE FLY “Agile” and “nimble” are the buzzwords as the Royal Canadian Air Force moves forward under new commander LGen Al Meinzinger. By Chris Thatcher AN INVESTMENT IN CAPABILITY Skies test pilot Robert Erdos flew Leonardo's AW101-612 search and rescue helicopter to see what upgrades might be in store for Canada's CH-149 Cormorants. By Robert Erdos

All news