MONTREAL, Feb. 27, 2012 - Aéro Montréal, Québec's aerospace cluster, welcomes the appointment of the Honourable David L. Emerson as Chair of the Aerospace Review, and thanks the Honourable Christian Paradis, Canada's Minister of Industry and Minister of State, for the announcement. First outlined as part of the last federal budget, the review will provide a comprehensive assessment of the policies and programs related to the aerospace industry.

"The announcement made by the Government of Canada, in March 2011, that it will review the aerospace policies and programs shows that it considers the future of the industry a priority. To remain competitive in an increasingly globalized economy, it is essential that the government's policies with respect to the aerospace sector be a result of a concerted and strategic assessment. In that sense, we are eagerly waiting for work to begin," declared Gilles Labbé, President & Chief Executive Officer of Héroux-Devtek and the Chairman of Aéro Montréal's board of directors.

Since its creation in May 2006, Aéro Montréal has worked with all the key players of the industry, including companies, educational and research institutions, associations and unions, to optimize the growth and expansion of the aerospace sector in Québec, in Canada and around the world. The Québec aerospace industry represents close to 42,000 jobs and generates nearly $12 billion in revenue a year.

"As our industry is the subject of structural transformations, we are lucky to count on the support of a government which is prepared to take concrete measures to contribute to our success. The members of Aéro Montréal are delighted with the idea of participating in the discussions through the different working groups that will be put into place in the coming weeks," explained Suzanne M. Benoît, President of Aéro Montréal.

Aéro Montréal and its members thank the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister of State, for the appointment of the Honourable David L. Emerson and are confident that the work of reviewing the aerospace policies and programs done in collaboration with the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) will reinforce the competitiveness of the Québec aerospace industry on a global scale.

About Aéro Montréal 
Aéro Montréal, Québec's aerospace cluster, is a strategic think tank that groups all the major decision makers in Québec's aerospace sector, including companies, educational and research institutions, associations and unions.

Aéro Montréal's mission is to mobilize industry players around common goals and concerted actions to increase the cohesion and optimize competitiveness of Québec's aerospace cluster. It aims to foster the growth and expansion of the cluster so as to ensure that it may continue to create wealth for Montréal, Québec and Canada.

Noémie Mourot
Project Director, Strategy and communication
Aéro Montréal
Tél. : 514 571-2810
noemie.mourot@aeromontreal.ca