Winnipeg, MB – Mayor Bowman issued the following statement today regarding the Boeing/Bombardier trade dispute:
“Yesterday, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard stated that “Not a bolt, not a part, of course not a plane of Boeing” should be entering Canada until this conflict is resolved.
His comments do not appear to acknowledge the reality that Quebec is not the only province affected by this dispute.
Winnipeg is the largest aerospace centre in Western Canada—the third-biggest in the country—with a concentration of skilled labour that’s twice the national average. Manitoba’s Aerospace sector is primarily export driven and an integral part of the global trade market. We are home to a number of major sector players including Boeing, General Electric, Magellan and Standard Aero, among others. Over the last 10 years in Winnipeg alone, aerospace companies have shipped more than $3 billion in product exports, including $400 million in exports to emerging markets where Winnipeg companies help meet growing global demand for aircraft and aircraft parts.
The ramifications of this dispute go far beyond any one organization or region of the country. This is about the Canadian Aerospace sector as a whole. Cooler heads need to prevail so we can continue to collectively find ways to grow this sector, not obstruct it. As I have said before, protectionist policies do not benefit us or the United States and we need to keep our borders open to trade. While I respect that the Premier of Quebec is going to stand up for jobs in Quebec, his comments are an oversimplification of the dispute and are not helpful for the Canadian Aerospace sector as a whole.”