Canada was one of the first countries in space. Now, as a new space race takes off, does it have what it takes to become a global leader again?
In this episode of our summer series Can Canada Meet the Moment?, Paige Ellis sits down with Mike Greenley, CEO of MDA Space—Canada’s answer to SpaceX—to explore the enormous economic opportunity opening up beyond Earth. Greenley says the Earth-to-Moon economy represents a new economic frontier worth trillions of dollars, with humans expected to start living and working on the Moon as early as 2028. Canada already has world-leading expertise in space robotics, satellite communications and Earth observation—but capturing the opportunity will require moving faster and thinking much bigger.
Greenley explains why Canada needs its own launch capability, how rising defence spending could help build a stronger domestic space industry, and why relying on other countries for critical technology creates both economic and sovereignty risks. As the U.S. pulls back globally and countries put a greater emphasis on sovereignty and security, Greenley explains why Canada needs to build more critical capabilities at home while continuing to forge strategic partnerships abroad. He also makes the case that Canada’s unique combination of mining expertise and space robotics could eventually give it an advantage in lunar and asteroid mining, where potentially enormous deposits of critical minerals are waiting to be explored.
Plus, Greenley lays out his ambitions to turn MDA Space into a much larger global company while helping create a new generation of billion-dollar Canadian space businesses—and explains why commercial trips to the Moon could become a reality within the next decade.
Timestamps
0:00 Sponsor intro and opening
0:58 Welcome and why the space economy matters
2:45 Rapid-fire with Mike Greenley
5:30 Canada’s place in the space boom
8:52 Defense, urgency, and how Canada scales capability
12:48 Why this time could be different
14:00 What industry wants from government
17:04 Defense procurement: best equipment vs. Canadian industry
20:38 Partnerships, sovereignty, and the Gateway pause
23:57 Canada’s mining edge in the new space race
26:36 Winning public support for space
31:37 ESG, capital, and space investment
35:29 Building a stronger Canadian space ecosystem
37:37 Why U.S. expansion matters
39:06 When commercial moon trips become real
41:39 Outro and next episode tease
Sponsors
This show is brought to you by Forum Asset Management, presenting sponsor of our Innovation Special: Can Canada Meet the Moment.
Learn more at https://forumam.com.
Thank you to our partners at ATB Financial. ATB Cormark Capital Markets is a leading North American investment firm providing holistic corporate and capital markets advice and full-service financial solutions. Visit https://ATB.com/inthemoney for more information.
For over 25 years, Raymond James has been helping Canadians achieve their financial goals. Visit https://
raymondjames.ca today to discover how you can live a life well planned.
Thank you to our partners at Hamilton ETFs. For more information visit https://
hamiltonetfs.com Support for this podcast is brought to you by EQB – the company behind EQ Bank, Canada’s Challenger Bank. For more information visit https://https://www.eqbank.ca/
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The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or professional advice.The views expressed by the host and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any organization or company. The host and guests may maintain positions in any securities discussed on the podcast. Always consult with a qualified financial advisor or professional before making any investment decisions.
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