U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday he will slap a 50 per cent tariff on all aircraft sold into the United States from Canada unless the country “immediately” certifies business jets made by American planemaker Gulfstream.
Trump wrote in his Truth Social post that the U.S. will decertify Bombardier Global Express jets “and all aircraft made in Canada” until the issue is resolved.
“Based on the fact that Canada has wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700, and 800 Jets, one of the greatest, most technologically advanced airplanes ever made, we are hereby decertifying their Bombardier Global Expresses, 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,” Trump wrote.
“Further, Canada is effectively prohibiting the sale of Gulfstream products in Canada through this very same certification process. If, for any reason, this situation is not immediately corrected, I am going to charge Canada a 50% Tariff on any and all Aircraft sold into the United States of America. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Global News has reached out to Transport Canada and Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon’s office for comment on Trump’s statement. Requests for comment to Bombardier and Gulfstream were not immediately returned.
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Decertification of an aircraft by a national regulator like the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration would make it unable to legally fly in that particular country.
Thousands of Quebec-based Bombardier’s business jets operate in the U.S., and its recently-divested CRJ passenger jets are operated by several regional American airlines. Bombardier also developed the narrow-body commercial airliner now known as the Airbus A220, which is widely used by Delta Airlines and Jet Blue.
Trump has escalated his rhetoric toward Canada in recent days after Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a widely-watched speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week, where he warned about an end to the U.S.-led rules-based international order.
Trump told the annual gathering of political and business elites the following day that Carney and Canada should be “grateful” for its U.S. economic and security ties, and has since threatened additional tariffs if Ottawa strikes a free trade agreement with China.
Carney, who recently signed a framework with Beijing to reduce some tariffs and boost investments in both countries, has said Canada is not pursuing free trade with China.
The renewed tensions come as the renegotiation of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement on free trade draws closer, with official talks set to begin in July.
More to come…
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