Boeing walked away from talks with Canadian officials: Ambassador
by The Canadian Press
David MacNaughton says Canadian officials were trying to understand why the aerospace firm was picking a fight with Bombardier before Boeing broke off talks
OTTAWA—Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. says Boeing walked away from talks with Canadian officials aimed at resolving the American aerospace company’s trade dispute with Montreal-based Bombardier.
Ambassador David MacNaughton’s comments are the first revelation that the Trudeau government spoke directly with Boeing about the dispute, which has become a flashpoint for the Liberals.
They also come as media reports say British Prime Minister Theresa May, who will visit Canada next week, defended Bombardier during a recent call with U.S. President Donald Trump.
MacNaughton says Canadian officials were trying to understand why Boeing was picking a fight with Bombardier, since the two are not direct competitors.
Boeing has accused Bombardier of selling its CSeries passenger liners to U.S.-based Delta Airlines at an unfairly low price with help from government subsidies in Canada.
MacNaughton says the two sides offered a number of proposals for resolving the dispute, before Boeing broke off talks.
