In a significant escalation of trade tensions, President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to Canadian aerospace manufacturer Bombardier, insisting the company must relocate its manufacturing operations to the United States if it wishes to continue selling its aircraft there.
On Monday, Trump took to Truth Social to announce, “NO MORE SELLING BOMBARDIER IN THE UNITED STATES! If they want our Market, they must build here, and stop treating America like a ‘piggybank.'”
This warning comes at a time when trade relations between Canada and the US are strained, coinciding with the imminent imposition of Canadian tariffs on $20 billion (£14.7 billion) worth of US goods.
Currently, the specific mechanisms by which Trump plans to inhibit Bombardier’s activities in the US remain unclear. The company, headquartered in Montreal, already operates a production facility in Kansas that specializes in military aircraft and employs 3,500 US workers. Approximately half of Bombardier’s aircraft fleet, totalling 5,100 planes, is operated by US-based customers.
Bombardier maintains production facilities in Canada, the US, and Mexico, and its operations adhere to the terms of the North American trade agreement, known as CUSMA in Canada and USMCA in the US, which was enacted during Trump’s first term.
The company’s financial impact on Canada is substantial, contributing C$7.4 billion ($5.4 billion; £4 billion) to the national GDP in 2024. It stands as one of Quebec’s major employers in the manufacturing sector.
Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette expressed her support for Bombardier, describing it as “a source of pride” and “a flagship of our economy” in a statement on X on Monday. She pledged her government’s full backing to the company’s CEO Éric Martel and dismissed Trump’s directive, stating, “Quebec will not allow anyone to dictate where our companies must produce in order to access a market.”
The backdrop to these developments includes a breakdown in trade negotiations between the two countries late last month when Canada exited talks, prompting the US to enact new 50% tariffs on various Canadian imports. Prime Minister Mark Carney criticised the US for introducing last-minute terms he labelled “unfair” and “uneconomic”, whereas US officials have alleged that Carney’s refusal to strike a deal is politically motivated due to Trump’s lack of popularity in Canada, a claim Carney has denied.
Reporting based on coverage first published by bbc.co.uk.