b'FUTURE AIRCREW TRAININGT h e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h r e e n e w f e d e r a l a v i a t i o n f a c i l i t i e s p r o m i s e s t o d e l i v e r m i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s o f w o r k t o I n d i g e n o u s t r a d e s By Gavin JohnREACHING FOR THE SKYT he future of Canadas next TopCanada (NFTC) program in Moose Jaw,Indigenous participants at the table for Gun fighter pilots will be builtSask. and Cold Lake, Alta. Both programsthe procurement bids. As part of Ottawas on the foundation of Indigenousare approaching the end of their contractcommitment towards reconciliation, the tradespeople and other workersand the Department of National Defencegovernment has set a goal of awarding forthenextquartercentury.has decided to combine them into anfive per cent of all federal contracts to Thats because the federal governmentall-encompassing program called Futurebusinesses owned and led by Indigenous announced in 2018 that it was looking forAircrew Training (FAcT).peoples. Its Indigenous Engagement and bids for the construction and operationPartnership Plan (IEPP) is designed to of three new aviation training facilities onThe FAcT build can provide millions of Indigenous land valued at $5 billion-plus.dollars to Indigenous people thoughensure that large construction plans have progressive and long-term procurementsystems in place for meaningful engage-The FAcT [Future Aircrew Training] projectment and consultation with affected is one of Canadas best-kept secrets, saysplans. The three new training facilities setIndigenous communities. This includes Jeff Provost, Indigenous business relationsto be built in Saskatchewan and Manitobathe FAcT program.manager for Bird Construction, one of thewill be able to train up to 120 pilots, in companies participating in the bid to buildaddition to other air combat systems offi-the new facilities.cers. For construction contractors, FAcTFive per cent might not sound like a lot in presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunityterms of procurement, but five per cent of Royal Canadian Air Force pilots arefor a 25-year procurement contract witha multi-billion-dollar contract is a massive currently trained through two programs,the Government of Canada.amount. For a contract worth $5 billion, for theContractedFlyingTrainingandinstance, $250 million would go towards Support (CFTS) program in Southport,GiventhefacilitieswillbebuiltonIndigenous subcontractorsnot an Man. and the NATO Flying Training inIndigenous land, there will be severalinsignificant amount. 68A CCAB PUBLICATION2022'