Canada's first man in space is calling for the federal government to form a national space policy before its "ad hoc" attitude leaves it lagging far behind others carving out their own spots in the sky.

Former Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau says now is the time to look at "where space can take Canada."
(Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

"Space is a frontier which is in the interests of all countries to use properly. And Canada has got to be there and have a presence there," Marc Garneau told CBC-TV's Politics on Thursday.

China, India and Brazil are developing space programs to compete with the United States and Russia, and space is becoming more crowded with satellites, he said.

The former astronaut said Canada needs to decide how important space is for the country's interests on issues such as the environment, security, monitoring natural resources and even connecting Canadians through satellite communications.

The national space budget has been frozen at $300 million a year since 1999, he said.

Despite that modest budget, Garneau said, the country has managed to have a "very proud history" in space that began in 1962 with the launch of Alouette, which made Canada the third country to place a satellite in space, behind the Soviet Union and the U.S.

That feat was accomplished through a partnership with NASA, and Canada has partnered with many countries since, he said.

Garneau said those partnerships need to be maintained, but now is the time to look at "where space can take Canada."

"So far, I think Canada's space program has been a little bit ad hoc and has been pushed from the bottom by people who have good ideas. But I think what we need is leadership from the top."

Garneau made his call Thursday to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Soviet Union's launch of the Sputnik satellite, which marked the dawn of the space age.