The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Canada's space industry is positioning itself to secure federal defence funding by emphasizing its importance to national security and its potential role in future conflicts. The Globe's Pippa Norman writes that the sales pitch is gaining traction. At a two-day conference in Ottawa, two federal ministers, military officials, senior executives from major defence contractors, and a mayor gathered in a conference room at the city's nature museum. The industry is asking for 5 per cent of the federal government's planned 5 per cent of GDP spending on defence by 2035. A report by Royal Bank of Canada suggests this could inject $7.5-billion annually into the Canadian space sector (all figures Canadian unless otherwise stated). The global space economy is projected to reach $1.8-trillion (U.S.) by 2035, with Canada aiming to grow its domestic space industry to $21-billion in the next 10 years. Only if, however, it can attract $12-billion in public and private capital to spur this growth, RBC writes. BMO analyst Thanos Moschopoulos expects MDA Space to be a "key beneficiary of this spend" owing to its prominence in Earth observation and satellite communications.