Bombardier PR still needs work, poll suggests

Bombardier Inc. did itself no favours when it rolled back salary increases planned for its top executives, as a new poll shows more than half of Quebecers have a worse opinion of the company.

The Mainstreet/Postmedia poll conducted for the Montreal Gazette between April 12 and 13 found 51 per cent of Quebecers said their opinion of the Quebec-based aerospace and rail giant had deteriorated in the previous two weeks.

During those weeks, news broke that Bombardier gave its top executives, including executive chairperson Pierre Beaudoin, salary increases amounting to about 50 per cent last year.

It was the same year the company asked for and received a $1-billion handout from the Quebec government. The news of the increases broke only a few weeks after the federal government announced a $372.5-million loan package.

The company said it needed the money to help with its struggling CSeries aircraft production.

After news of the salary increases broke, Quebec cabinet ministers called the company to task, saying it should reverse the raises, and protesters marched through the streets of Montreal.

The company approved a new, lower pay scale for its executives during an April 10 board meeting. CEO Alain Bellemare had asked the board to delay payment of more than half of last year’s total planned compensation for six executive officers, including himself, by one year to 2020, provided the company meets certain objectives.

Despite the rollback, only seven per cent of Quebecers said their opinion of Bombardier improved, while 25 per cent said their opinion of the company remained the same during the two weeks the salary increase issues were the subject of media attention. The poll found 17 per cent were undecided.