Prime Minister Trudeau used Canada Day celebrations to announce that two Albertans, Jennifer Sidey of Calgary and Joshua Kutryk of Fort Saskatchewan are joining Canada's space program.
Sidey is a lecturer with the University of Cambridge and is a mechanical engineer while Kutryk is an air force pilot.
Sidey told people gathered for Canada Day festivities that she was inspired to try to become an astronaut in 1992 when Roberta Bondar went into space aboard the space shuttle Discovery.
Kutryk says he stands on the shoulders of the great Canadian astronauts who have preceded him, adding they inspired him to be best he could be.
The two year training program the pair will undergo includes instruction on systems on the International Space Station, spacewalks and Russian language training.