NP View: It’s not Doug Ford's duty to rescue Bombardier from its ineptitude

Piotr Job, right, and Sabino Iacobucci work on a Toronto streetcar under construction at the Bombardier factory in Thunder Bay, Ont., in a file photo from Dec. 3, 2014. Laura Pedersen/National Post

It has been stated that it is not Doug Ford’s duty to rescue Bombardier from his ineptitude. Being a company whose survival depends on an endless flow of government orders that is not a model of commercial success.

Bombardier Inc. is a multinational manufacturer of regional aircraft, business aircraft, and equipment for public transport. Its aviation division, Bombardier Aviation, is headquartered in Montreal and its public transport division, Bombardier Transportation, is based in Berlin.

The company was founded as a manufacturer of snowmobiles. However, he sold that line of business in 2003.

Now, the news that a Bombardier plant in Thunder Bay, Ontario, would lay off nearly half of its staff due to the shortage of orders, had barely broken when the federal and provincial leaders attacked each other over who was to blame.

Projects promised without fulfilling

It is necessary to emphasize that the federal minister of Employment, Patty Hajdu, affirmed that Ontario had not fulfilled the promised projects for the plant. For his part, progressive conservative Prime Minister Doug Ford responded that he had a $ 28.5 billion plan, but had not heard anything from Ottawa. In turn, the federals responded that the money was available, but Ontario had to request it. The province said it sent Ottawa a list of 49 projects that needed cash. Of course, the Minister of Infrastructure, François-Philippe Champagne, responded, but Ontario only sent “striking images”, not a real plan.

Likewise, it has been indicated that with the Liberals in total re-election mode and the Ford PCs committed not to cooperate with the Trudeau government, neither party deserves such admiration for this file. Unfortunately, that has become the norm in a political environment in which opponents are enemies to be mocked and despised at all costs, including the public good.

That being the case, one could say that it is of particular importance in the case of Bombardier and the long and expensive telenovela that began with a contract for some streetcars a decade ago. Since its inception, it has been a saga impregnated with pure politics, and little else. Recent events suggest that the opportunity to end stupidity can be missed.

Source: National Post