“Since my State of the City speech launched Winnipeg's Sky Economy brand in March, I have been quietly encouraging former New Flyer Industries CEO Paul Soubry to take on a role helping promote and advance our aviation, aerospace and defence sectors.
Paul is highly regarded for his industry knowledge, experience and leadership. He has already given so much to our city, and I’m pleased he has agreed to give even more of his time and energy to this important work.
Paul's work building Winnipeg's heavy vehicle manufacturing sector is nationally and even internationally respected. His 14 years in senior management roles at Standard Aerospace also give him critical experience at an aerospace company that is central to the competitiveness of Winnipeg's Sky Economy.
The federal government’s historic investment in Canada’s defence presents a tremendous opportunity for Manitoba. We need to be organized, ambitious and ready to compete for new investment, procurement opportunities and good, high-wage, high-skill jobs.
I am pleased Premier Kinew and Minister Moses have brought Paul into this important role as Executive Champion of the Manitoba-Canada Defence Alliance. This renewed Alliance will complement the work already underway across the province to better organize and promote economic growth in these sectors. I’m thankful to Paul for working with City Hall as an ally in promoting Winnipeg’s Sky Economy and I look forward to seeing him even more often him as we continue to make the case for Winnipeg and Manitoba as a world-class destination for aerospace and defence.”