Why Canada is failing on major project development

One response to “Why Canada is failing on major project development”

1. We recently submitted the MDG A1 Gyroplane project to the Major Projects Office — an initiative designed to champion significant Canadian industrial developments. While the online intake process limited the amount of information we could provide, our submission outlined the fundamentals of what we believed to be a qualifying project under the program’s criteria.
   To be clear: we represent a wholly Canadian-owned company, built on wholly Canadian-patented aerospace technology that advances national innovation, strengthens domestic manufacturing, and has direct applications for Canada’s defense and security. The project is ready for the construction of a new aircraft manufacturing facility in Ontario, one that would create high-value jobs, stimulate export activity, and position Canada at the forefront of quantum-integrated aerospace design through the application of quantum strategic dependency algorithms and advanced control systems.
   The response we received from the Major Projects Office was both unexpected and discouraging. It stated that our submission did not meet the mandatory criteria — suggesting, incorrectly, that our project is not based in Canada and does not qualify as trade-enabling infrastructure, industry, manufacturing, defense, or digital infrastructure. Our project is demonstrably all of these things.
   This raises a larger question: How can Canada hope to lead in global innovation if homegrown projects of this magnitude are dismissed without dialogue, clarification, or presentation? Had we relocated this initiative to the United States or another jurisdiction, it would likely have been welcomed as a high-potential innovation opportunity — yet doing so would make us appear unpatriotic for leaving Canada behind.
   As someone who has been a manufacturer in Canada for more than forty years, I have witnessed firsthand how risk aversion has become a barrier to progress. Innovation requires courage — it requires an understanding that research and development inherently involves trial, adaptation, and learning from failure. These are not weaknesses; they are the foundations of discovery and leadership.
   The Major Projects Office was conceived with the right intent — to enable transformative Canadian projects — but for it to succeed, its processes must be guided by practical understanding and a genuine commitment to foster progress, not simply to filter it.
   We remain determined to move this project forward here in Canada, where it belongs. But time is critical. The MDG A1 Gyroplane represents more than an aircraft; it represents a vision of what Canada can achieve when innovation, industry, and national interest work together.
   Don Greer
   MDG Aerospace
   Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

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