Vanguard Magazine

c cansec 2017 24 JUNE/JULY 2017 www.vanguardcanada.com Canada's premier global defence and security trade show, CANSEC 2017 has been another resounding success according to CADSI's president Christyn Cianfarani. defence innovation by marcello sukhdeo Celebrating a century of Canada's I n what started as out as a tradeshow with only 52 exhibiting companies in March 1998 at the old Ottawa Con- gress Centre, CANSEC has grown significantly today – doubling the space to 135,000 square feet of exhibit area at Ot- towa's EY Centre and offering a platform to nearly 300 exhibitors. "That impressive growth is a testament to the success and steady improvement of CANSEC over the years," Cianfarani said during her opening remarks at CANSEC 2017. At this year's event, which was held on May 31 to June 1, in which 11,000 regis- trants, including 4,000 government per- sonnel as well as 40 foreign delegations participated, two important milestones for the defence and security industry in Canada were celebrated: first, one hun- dred years of Canadian defence industrial innovations, and second, the 20th anni- versary of CANSEC. the Innovation wall As part of the celebrations, a special cer- emony was held during the opening day of CANSEC 2017 to unveil the Innova- tion Wall. This wall was a visual timeline of Canadian defence innovations over the last century. In her speech to those who gathered to witness this event, Cianfarani said that many of the technologies were supported through strategic government- industry partnerships involving Canadian defence companies, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and its precursor and the National Research Council (NRC). In the feature address at this unveiling, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic De- velopment, said that in order for Canada to stay competitive, we must remain com- mitted to innovation. The way to do this according to the minister is by continuous- ly finding new ways of doing things better. Innovation undoubtedly is a theme that is universal today in any industry, and at CANSEC this year that theme was promi- nently displayed for the defence and secu- rity sector. From 3M Canada Company to General Dynamics Mission Systems and L3 to Ultra Electronics Canada, CANSEC was used as a platform for exhibitors to showcase their innovative solutions that can fit the needs of the Canadian Armed Forces. A highlight of the event, showcasing how technologies are being used today, was the very first helicopter landing at the CANSEC show. "On Monday morning, we were treated to our very first helicop- ter landing at the show – the Canadian Coast Guard's brand new B412 helicop- ter," Cianfarani was quoted as saying in the show daily. "Not only do we have cool technologies coming out of the sky like helicopters and drones, we've built on last year's unmanned theme and are show- ing technologies moving about under the sea." The Bell 412s were ordered in Decem- ber 2014 as part of the fleet renewal of the Canadian Coast Guard. To date, two have already been delivered that will play a key role in the government's Oceans Protec- tion Plan. technology highlight CAE, known for providing simulators around the world for military training, is another company that has made great strides in innovation. Shortly, CAE will commence work on a new training cen- tre to be built at CFB Comox in British

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