On July 11th, the premiers of the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario called on the government to move away from a sole-source contract and launch a procurement process to consider other bidders. The deal is all about acquiring 16 Boeing Poseidon P-8A aircraft - military variants of the 737 designed for surveillance, search and rescue, and maritime patrol. For months now, however, Bombardier has been quite vocal that it should also be considered. It now appears that the Canadian firm has some politicians on its side.

Leaders of Quebec and Ontario speak out

Anyone following the Canadian government's process in seeking replacement patrol aircraft for its military may be tired of this news by now. Many would argue that there is indeed no other product on the market that could compete with Boeing's offering, the Poseidon P-8. Based on the 737 platform, the aircraft is used by several Canadian allies, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Of course, Bombardier doesn't see it this way, nor do the premiers of the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. Quebec's François Legault and Ontario's Doug Ford joined forces to request that the federal government launch a procurement process to consider an offering from Bombardier - a militarized variant of its Global 6500 business jet.

Photo: Boeing

According to CBC, Ford stated at a press conference that he's a "big believer in making sure we manufacture everything in Canada," adding, "Right now, there's a big footprint with Bombardier here in Ontario, and we just want to endorse them to have a fair process." Legault, the premier of Quebec, echoed Ford's remarks, stating that Bombardier should have an opportunity to compete "instead of going directly with Boeing."

Political significance

It's clear that the significant deal has some political gravity to it - undoubtedly the reason why politicians are weighing in. Bombardier has plants in both Ontario and Quebec. In Canada, Bombardier says that it employs more than 11,000 workers and "has a significant impact on the national economic growth, contributing nearly $5.7 billion in GDP in 2021." While unspecified, this figure is likely to be in Canadian dollars, which would equate to US$4.31 billion. With such a large workforce (of eligible voters) mainly spread out across these two major Canadian provinces, it's no wonder why their political leaders want Bombardier to at least be considered in the journey to replace the aging Lockheed CP-140 Auroras.

Photo: Government of Canada

While Ford says he "loves things made in Canada," the provincial leader is willing to concede that Boeing may have the better product. But still, the politician wants to see an open process and competition. "If Boeing's better, then Boeing gets it. If Bombardier's better, they get it. But it has to be a fair and transparent process," he said.

Do you think there is any chance the Canadian government will listen to these calls and open up the process? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Sources: CBC