• Aerospace company has been begging the Trudeau government for a taxpayer handout for one full year

• CTF wishes them many more happy years of holding their hands outstretched and not receiving anything

OTTAWA, ON: The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) today handed out cake and urged all Canadians to take a moment to celebrate an important milestone for Bombardier and the Trudeau government, as they celebrate Bombardier’s first ‘begaversary.’   

“It’s hard to believe it’s been one year since Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare met with Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains to first ask for a giant pile of free money courtesy of Canadian taxpayers,” said CTF Federal Director Aaron Wudrick. “So much has happened since then. Bombardier lobbyists have met with the government more than one hundred times. The CTF tried to do our part to raise some money for them. And then Bombardier openly admitted they didn’t actually need the money, but kept asking for it anyway.”

To mark the occasion, Wudrick and the CTF’s mascot, Porky the Waste Hater, held a small ceremony in downtown Ottawa today, complete with a celebratory cake.

“It’s important to mark these occasions, so that corporations looking for $1.3 billion courtesy of taxpayers can rest assured ‘we see your outstretched hands’ and know we’re rooting hard for them to continue to not receive anything for many, many years to come,” continued Wudrick.

Wudrick noted that Bombardier has been the recipient of more than $2.2 billion in taxpayer subsides since 1966, but that going an entire year without a handout was a testament to Bombardier’s reputation for innovation.

“We also want to commend the Trudeau government for holding strong on behalf of Canadian taxpayers for an entire year. There’s no doubt that the political pressure from the company and other politicians has been significant, but simply handing a giant aerospace company $1.3 billion tax dollars is a complete waste of money. Minister Bains, his deputy minister John Knubley and the staff around them should be commended for their fortitude,” concluded Wudrick.