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U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to slap a 50 per cent tariff on Canadian aircraft and says his administration will “decertify” those planes, mentioning a series of jets by aerospace company Bombardier by name.
In a post on his social media site, Truth Social, Trump justified his latest trade war escalation by accusing Ottawa of blocking the certification of a series of jets made by U.S.-based Gulfstream.
“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,” the president wrote.
“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.”
It is unclear what he means by “decertifying” the planes, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), run by a Trump appointee, is responsible for certifying aircraft to operate in U.S. airspace.
U.S. President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, saying, ‘If Governor Carney thinks he is going to make Canada a ‘Drop Off Port’ for China to send goods and products into the United States, he is sorely mistaken.’ This tariff threat comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, a speech widely perceived as pushback for U.S. actions.
Bombardier in contact with Ottawa
A number of Gulfstream’s jets — including the G450, G350, GV, G550 and G500 — have been certified by Transport Canada to some degree, according to the company’s website.
Canadian-based Bombardier and Gulfstream are currently heavy competitors in the business jet market.
Bombardier said late Thursday that it had taken note of Trump’s social media post and said it is in contact with the federal government about his remarks.
Trump also targeted the Canadian company during his first term, slapping a near 300 per cent tariff on Bombardier’s C Series. That model, now known as the A220, was later sold to Airbus.
Beyond Bombardier, De Havilland Canada and Airbus both have manufacturing plants in Canada and could be subject to tariffs if Trump follows through on his threats.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent commented on U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s relationship after Carney’s headline-grabbing speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. He told CNBC’s Sara Eisen ‘I would not pick a fight going into USMCA to score some cheap political points.’
Political tensions between Canada and the U.S. have been heightened since Trump’s re-election. The U.S. president consistently mocked Canada as the 51st state last winter while slapping tariffs on a number of Canadian goods.
Tensions appeared to ease slightly over the spring and summer as Washington and Ottawa worked to negotiate some tariff relief. But talks blew up in the fall when Trump called the negotiations off, blaming an Ontario government ad that used former president Ronald Reagan’s arguments against tariffs.
In the past week, Trump has taken a more hostile tone when referring to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
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Carney gave a speech at the World Economic Forum that gained international attention and is largely being seen as a rejection of Trump’s foreign policy tactics.
Since then, Trump said Canada “lives because of the United States” and rescinded an invitation for Carney to join his “Board of Peace” initiative.
Over the weekend, Trump for the first time referred to Carney as “governor” — a moniker that he had used with former prime minister Justin Trudeau — while threatening to impose a 100 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods if Ottawa “makes a deal with China.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also chimed in this week regarding Carney’s speech in Davos, Switzerland, saying the prime minister shouldn’t be “virtue signalling.”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariffs have led many to describe his trade policy with the acronym TACO, short for ‘Trump Always Chickens Out.’ But is he actually chickening out — or is it a negotiating tactic? Andrew Chang looks at what Trump may gain — and lose — by backing off from his most extreme policies. Images provided by Getty Images, The Canadian Press and Reuters.
“I would just encourage Prime Minister Carney to do what he thinks is best for the Canadian people,” Bessent told CNBC’s Sara Eisen on Wednesday.
“I would not pick a fight going into USMCA to score some cheap political points,” he said, using the American acronym for the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which is up for review this year.
Gulfstream President Mark Burns said in November that U.S. trade tensions with Beijing have “definitely slowed a number of opportunities” in China.
“It’s a good market for us,” Burns said. “But you know, obviously the trade tensions do create some slowdown in that marketplace. So I’m hopeful that there’s something that gets done in the near future.”
Source: cbc
