Boeing cancels CANSEC briefing

The Canadian government’s proposal to acquire 18 Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets to plug a “capability gap” in its fighter fleet took a strange turn June 1 when Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) abruptly cancelled a media briefing on the final day of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries-sponsored CANSEC trade show.

Boeing had planned to announce its Interim Fighter Capability Project (IFCP) partnership team but said in a statement that “due to the current climate, today is not the most opportune time to share this good-news story.”

The company was reacting to Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s call the previous day for Boeing Corp. to withdraw a complaint to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that Montreal-based Bombardier had effectively undercut Boeing with unfairly low prices that secured a Delta Airlines order in April for up to 125 CS100 single-aisle narrowbody commercial jets.

The Canadian government’s initial response was from Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who described the ITC filing as “very clearly a protectionist effort” to keep the C Series out of the U.S. market.

“That’s not something we can stand for,” she said in a televised interview. “It’s important for Boeing to appreciate that we will be reviewing our military procurement in light of this.”

Sajjan doubled down on that at CANSEC. He said the Royal Canadian Air Force needs additional “interim” fighters to meet North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and domestic requirements, adding Boeing had been a “trusted partner” throughout a decades-long relationship, but he implied without going into detail there were other options.

“The interim fleet procurement requires a trusted industry partner,” said Sajjan. “Our government is of the view their action against Bombardier is unfounded. It is not the behaviour we expect of a trusted partner and we call on Boeing to withdraw it.”

Boeing said in a statement that it valued Sajjan’s acknowledgment of Boeing long-standing relationship but its ITC petition was “a commercial matter that Boeing is seeking to address through the normal course for resolving such issues.”

Meanwhile, it said its commitment to the Canadian military and commercial aircraft markets was “unwavering” and it pointed out that through a supplier network of more than 560 Canadian companies it contributes nearly 14 per cent of the Canadian aerospace industry’s economic impact.

“Boeing values Canada as a customer and supplier-partner, and we continue to seek opportunities to expand our current and future partnerships with Canadian industry, the Canadian government and the aerospace industry in Canada at large.”