WaPo just reported that the U.S. Government has sided with Boeing who filed a complaint that Canadian jet maker Bombardier who is a rival to Boeing is receiving unfair subsidies from the government and the U.S. Government might be imposing tariffs as much as 219% on Canadian jetliners as a result: https://www.washingtonpost.com/busi...isrc=al_alert-COMBO-politics%2Beconomy&wpmk=1
The U.S. government moved to impose tariffs on Canadian jetliners Tuesday when it ruled in favor of a complaint by U.S. aircraft maker Boeing that claimed rival Bombardier is receiving unfair government subsidies.
The department suggested the tariffs could be as high as 219 percent. The action threatens to further inflame trade tensions between the two North American neighbors. Earlier this year, the Commerce Department moved to impose new duties on the import of Canadian soft lumber and President Trump has signaled his interest to renegotiate the terms of the North America Free Trade Agreement between the two nations.
Bombardier has sold aircraft to U.S. carriers for decades. But Boeings complaint follows a multibillion-dollar deal struck between Bombardier and Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines for 75 C-series CS-100s, a commercial airplane that seats about 100 people.
Following the deal, Boeing formally asked the U.S. Commerce Department to investigate what it called illegal government subsidies and unfair pricing practices that have allegedly given the Canadian company an unfair advantage as it competes for business in the United States.
Without bailout money from Ottawa and the Quebec provincial government [Bombardier] would probably be bankrupt, said Loren Thompson, a defense consultant whose think tank gets funding from Boeing. What Boeing is really saying here is that Bombardier has an unfair advantage because Canadian taxpayers are covering part of its cost.
The Trump administration did not take an official position on the matter before Tuesday evenings trade decision. But British and Canadian leaders have publicly urged the Trump Administration not to impose tariffs.
The Guardian reported earlier this month that British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the issue privately with President Trump following political pressure in the U.K. And Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested earlier this month that his government might retaliate directly against Boeing through decisions on military purchasing agreements. The Canadian military is considering whether to buy Boeings F-18 Super Hornets for the Canadian military, and Trudeau suggested in a Sept. 18 news conference that he would abandon the purchase as a result of Boeings complaint against Bombardier.
We wont do business with a company thats busy trying to sue us and put our aerospace workers out of business, Trudeau said in the news conference.