Trudeau `disappointed´ in U.S. decision to slap 220 per cent duty on Canada´s Bombardier jets
(The Star Toronto Raptors)

OTTAWA—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined the chorus of condemnation over a U.S. government decision to slap a 220 per cent duty on the sale of Bombardier jets, stating Wednesday that he’s “disappointed� by the move and vowing to fight for Canadian jobs. In Quebec, where the Montreal-based company employs thousands of workers, Premier Philippe Couillard urged the federal government to take a strong stand against Boeing, the American aerospace giant whose complaint over Canadian subsidies to Bombardier sparked the U.S. decision to impose the punishing duty. “Not a bolt, not a part, (and) of course not a plane from Boeing (should be) entering Canada until this conflict is resolved in a satisfactory way,� Couillard said in Quebec City.Read more: Trudeau ‘disappointed’ in U.S. decision to slap 220 per cent duty on Canada’s Bombardier jets“Quebec has been attacked,� Couillard added. “But let me tell you, the war is far from over and we shall win.� The punishing duty was announced in a preliminary ruling from the U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday evening. The move stems from a Boeing complaint about the sale of 125 Bombardier C-Series jets to the American airline, Delta. Boeing contends that the Montreal-based plane maker is propped up by Canadian government subsidies that allow it to offer the jets at unfair low prices in the U.S. market. The decision to impose the 219.6 per cent duty was quickly met with condemnation by union leaders, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and government ministers. Across the Atlantic, British Prime Minister Theresa May said she was “bitterly disappointed� in the ruling and pledged to protect the 4,000 Bombardier jobs in Northern Ireland. At the heart of Boeing’s case against Bombardier is its assertion that it receives improper government subsidies in Canada. Quebec has invested $1 billion in the aerospace and transportation firm, whi ...