OTTAWA, ON: Following
comments today from CSeries vice-president Rob Dewar, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) called on the federal government to formally reject Bombardier Inc.’s request for a billion-dollar taxpayer bailout for its CSeries aircraft program.
Dewar, the Bombardier executive in charge of the CSeries program,
told the Financial Post that “federal funding would just be an extra endorsement for the program…that would be helpful but is very clearly not required.”
The CTF has long been a principled opponent of corporate welfare, and has vocally opposed Bombardier’s demand for a taxpayer bailout through
petitions,
radio ads,
publicity stunts, and
op/eds.
“It is great news that Mr. Dewar has confirmed that the taxpayer dollars Bombardier has already received is actually more than they require to ensure the success of the CSeries program,” said CTF Federal Director Aaron Wudrick. “Given such a clear statement from the CSeries’ top executive, we presume the government will no longer need to consider the company’s outstanding request for federal taxpayer assistance.”
“We would also like to congratulate Bombardier as they embark on this new era as a truly competitive global player,” added Wudrick. “And we wish them the very best of luck in selling their aircraft in the global marketplace – without taxpayer subsidy.”
