Blasting Boeing
Sajjan uses defence industry speech to address company’s spat with Bombardier
Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan used a major speech Wednesday to the defence industry to blast American firm Boeing for picking a trade spat with Bombardier.
Sajjan said Canada is disappointed by the “unfounded” action by one of its major partners in the defence industry and he delivered that message to hundreds at a breakfast speech at a major trade show for military contractors.
Boeing has petitioned the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate subsidies for Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft that it says have allowed the Canadian company to export planes at well below cost.
Sajjan said Boeing is not behaving like a “trusted partner” and the government wants the company to withdraw the complaint. He repeated the government’s thinly veiled retaliation threat to scrap the planned purchase of 18 Super Hornet fighter jets from the Boeing.
“A productive relationship between industry and government is crucial,” the minister said. “That is why our government — and I stress this — our government is disappointed in the action of one of our leading industry partners. We strongly disagree with the decision of the United States Commerce Department to initiate a trade remedy case in response to Boeing’s petition against Bombardier.”