Quebec, Ontario premiers team up to push Ottawa to help fund Bombardier Inc

VANCOUVER – The premiers of Canada’s two most populous provinces have joined forces to push for federal help for Bombardier’s CSeries aircraft.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard drew support from his Ontario counterpart in calling for Ottawa to back the airliner, saying the CSeries is important towards the Canadian economy.

The province wants the federal government to join it in contributing US$1 billion towards the troubled jet program at Bombardier.

Quebec has secured a 49.5 percent stake within the CSeries and 2 of 5 seats on a separate board after agreeing last October to the financial contribution.

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Couillard says he understands it takes here we are at Ottawa to consider the proposal, but he likened Quebec’s case to federal support for the auto industry in the past.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne supported Couillard, telling reporters at climate change talks in Vancouver that Bombardier is an important national company.

The Liberal government has said it had been continuing to judge the request for funding.

The narrow-body CSeries planes, which are two years late and also over budget at US$5.4 billion, are going to enter service in the coming months.