WINNIPEG – Prime Minister Harper today demonstrated unwavering support for Canada’s aerospace sector by helping to break ground on the construction of Bristol Aerospace Limited’s new Advanced Composites Manufacturing Centre.  Tony Clement, Minister of Industry; Vic Toews, Minister of Public Safety; and Steven Fletcher, Minister of State (Democratic Reform), joined the Prime Minister at the announcement.
 
“With the economic recovery still fragile, the hard working men and women of Canada’s aerospace industry can rest assured that the federal government is on their side,” said Prime Minister Harper.  “Our government’s investment in the F-35 fighter jet is expected to bring sustained employment to Canadian companies for the next 40 years.”
 
Bristol Aerospace LTD of Winnipeg, a division of Magellan Aerospace Corporation, has secured a contract to manufacture complex composite assemblies for the horizontal tail section of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.  This line of work on the Joint Strike Fighter program could increase employment at the company by up to 100 people over time.  The company is one of more than 60 Canadian companies, research laboratories and universities benefitting from the Joint Strike Fighter Program.
 
“By replacing an aircraft at the end of its lifespan, our Government is not only continuing our proven record of standing with our Forces, we are also making direct investments in the Canadian economy and creating skilled jobs for Canadian workers,” added the Prime Minister.

Our government recognizes that the aerospace industry and workers are a key high-tech resource within the Canadian economy and essential to the prosperity of working families and communities across the country.

We are committed to ensuring that the aerospace industry continues to grow and prosper.
The economic benefits of the F-35 program are already being felt across Canada with hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts bolstering economic activity in Halifax, Bagotville, Calgary, Cold Lake, Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver.
 
 
 
Backgrounder

INDUSTRIAL PARTICIPATION — JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER PROGRAM
The Government’s participation in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program brings significant benefits to Canada.  As a global program, it positions Canadian industry at the start of a multi-year, multi-billion dollar program with an international market.  Further, the government’s long-term investment in this aircraft development program provides Canada’s aerospace and defence industries with an unprecedented opportunity to be a part of the JSF global supply chain, advancing their technologies, while bringing jobs and sustained economic benefits to regions across Canada.

Canada joined the JSF program under the previous Government in 1997, in anticipation of the need for the Canadian Forces to replace its current fleet of CF-18s, which will reach the end of its operational life in the 2017-20 timeframe.

The development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the largest cooperative program of its kind since World War II. This United States-led partnership includes Canada, Australia, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey and the United Kingdom.  As a partner nation, Canada is in a position to secure high-value work on the JSF program.

Industrial Participation
Since 1997, Canada has been involved in the development, design and initial production phases of the JSF program.  In 2006, the Government of Canada signed the Production, Sustainment and Follow-on Development Phase Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).  In this MOU, the partners agreed to implement a best-value approach to maximize industrial benefits and the affordability of the JSF program for partner countries.
Because Canada is a member country, Canadian companies are among those eligible to bid on the work packages that flow from this project.  Canadian companies must offer competitive technologies at competitive prices to be successful on the JSF program.

Industry Canada has signed industrial participation plans with each of the JSF prime contractors (Lockheed Martin, Pratt & Whitney Canada, and the General Electric Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team).  These industrial participation plans meet the Government of Canada’s objective of encouraging foreign industry to establish long-term relationships with Canadian industry.  Industry Canada continues to work cooperatively with National Defence to identify and pursue opportunities with JSF prime contractors.

In addition to providing access to competitive opportunities, the industrial participation plans identify strategic industrial opportunities for Canada that build on Canadian strengths in the areas of landing gear maintenance, composite manufacturing, hard metals machining and complex structure assembly.

Benefits to Canada
To date, Canada has made payments of approximately $168 million to the JSF program; and, since 2002, this investment has led to more than $350 million in contracts with more than 60 Canadian companies, research laboratories and universities.  Canada has already seen a two-to-one return on its investment.
This program provides Canada with an unprecedented opportunity for long-term and high‑quality work in the aerospace and defence sectors.  Partner nation acquisitions of the aircraft are expected to exceed 3000 units, and overall production could exceed 5,000 aircraft worldwide as other non-partner countries replace their aging fighter fleets.  Canadian industrial participation in the JSF program is not limited to the work associated with the 65 Canadian aircraft; Canadian companies will contribute to the manufacture and service of thousands of aircraft.

The work packages available for Canadian companies will include not only the manufacturing and assembly of parts but also servicing, repair, simulation and training, in addition to numerous other sustainment activities over a 40-year period.  Early estimates show that the opportunities available to Canada on production could total $12 billion through these industrial participation plans.  Further opportunities from training, simulation and maintenance will add to this figure as the industrial benefits from the JSF program continue to flow to Canadian companies throughout the operational lifespan of the worldwide fleet.
 

The contract awarded to Bristol Aerospace Ltd. for manufacturing complex composite assemblies for the F-35’s tail is valued at approximately $11 million.  In 2008, the company received $43.4 million in repayable Federal support to help it develop new manufacturing and assembly processes necessary to participate in the Joint Strike Fighter Program.  This represents a significant opportunity for Bristol that could see hundreds of millions of dollars of work in this new facility as the JSF program moves into full production in the years to come.