Montréal, Québec, in the parlance of industry and academia, is a “cluster.” That means Canada’s second largest city encompasses within a reasonably circumscribed area the mutually supportive and economically reinforcing elements of design, development, manufacturing, marketing, government, organized labor and education that combine to produce an internationally ranked industrial center with enough history and critical mass to define success — in this case, as Canada’s aerospace capital.

“As an operator, you might want to advocate for air traffic improvements to be expanded as quickly as possible [to further promote green ops]. And if there is regulation of emissions [i.e., cap and trade], I would make a pitch for rational policies that the money extracted from the industry be invested back into the industry in research for green operations and reduction of emissions further.” — Ed Smith, Senior Vice President, International and Environmental Affairs General Aviation Manufacturers Association

With the change in leadership in the House of Representatives, it’s unlikely that U.S. business aviation operators will have to contend with a carbon emissions cap-and-trade program on this side of the Atlantic. However, those venturing across the North Atlantic will be forced to contend with the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme — paying for their CO2 emissions from point of origin.