The federal government and Bombardier are in talks after U.S. President Donald Trump says he would be “decertifying” the company’s Global Express fleet and “all Aircraft made in Canada.”
He has also threatened a 50-per-cent tariff on Canada for “any and all Aircraft sold into the United States.”
Trump made the pronouncements Thursday (Jan. 29) on his Truth Social platform.
He said it was “based on the fact that Canada has wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700, and 800 Jets.” Trump called the Gulfstream “one of the greatest, most technologically advanced airplanes ever made.”
The president said as a result his government would be “decertifying” Bombardier and all aircraft made in Canada, “until such time as Gulfstream, a Great American Company, is fully certified, as it should have been many years ago.”
He claims Canada is “effectively prohibiting” the sale of Gulfstream products in Canada “through this very same certification process” and he threatened the latest tariff if it wasn’t “immediately corrected.”
In a statement Thursday, Bombardier said the company has “taken note of the post from the President of the United States to social media” and is in contact with the federal government.
“Thousands of private and civilian jets built in Canada fly in the U.S. every day. We hope this is quickly resolved to avoid a significant impact to air traffic and the flying public,” the statement notes.
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said he spoke with Bombardier CEO Éric Martel Thursday night and then spoke with senior leadership at General Dynamics on Friday.
“Transport Canada officials are in communication with their U.S. counterparts, and our government is actively working on this situation,” MacKinnon said in his social media post. “Canada’s aviation industry is safe and reliable. We will stand behind it.”
It’s unclear what Trump means by “decertifying.”
The United States’ Federal Aviation Administration is in charge of aircraft certification.
Bombardier, which has operations in B.C., says its aircraft, facilities and technicians are fully certified to the Federal Aviation Administration standards and “renowned around the world.”
The Canadian company added that it employs more than 3,000 people in the U.S. across nine major facilities and creates thousands of U.S. jobs thrugh 2,800 suppliers.