Canadian space program scientists hoping for lift off in federal budget
OTTAWA — Canada’s space research community is optimistic they will receive a boost in the federal budget set to land Tuesday.
Liberal Finance Minister Bill Morneau has already signalled that a “key element” to Tuesday’s budget will be major investments to basic scientific research across the country and Canada’s astronomers and space engineers would like to see a slice of that money.
Gordon Osinski, the director of Canada’s Centre for Planetary Science and Exploration and a member of the federal government’s space advisory board, hopes the space community will be included in Morneau’s scientific funding promise.
“My glass is half-full until Tuesday and I’m hopeful that we’ll see some good announcements by the government,” said Osinski. “We do need to see a reinvestment in the Canadian space program.”