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Donald Trump has taken aim at Canada’s aerospace industry by threatening to “decertify” its jets in the US as part of his latest broadside against America’s northern neighbour.
The US president criticised Ottawa for having “steadfastly refused” to certify American planes and said he would be “hereby decertifying” Canadian Bombardier Global Express jets and “all aircraft made in Canada”.
The move was “based on the fact that Canada has wrongfully, illegally, and steadfastly refused to certify the Gulfstream 500, 600, 700, and 800 Jets, one of the greatest, most technologically advanced airplanes ever made,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Thursday evening.
Tariffs of 50 per cent would be imposed on all aircraft sold into the US from Canada unless the situation was “immediately corrected”, he warned.
The attack comes a week after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney suggested the US was rupturing the world order in a speech in Davos, Switzerland.
It also follows a weekend when Trump threatened the US’s second-largest trading partner with tariffs of 100 per cent over its trade outreach to China.
The US president has in recent weeks threatened big tariffs on countries including Iran, Canada and some European countries, but in each case has either not imposed the levies or has backed down on his threats.
Over the first year of his presidency Trump frequently announced punitive measures before offering significant exemptions, suspensions or reversals.
Canada has benefited from large carve-outs and exemptions to Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs, although the US has imposed a 50 per cent duty on its steel and aluminium as well as further duties on lumber.
Canada’s strategically important aerospace sector contributed C$34.2bn (US$25.3bn) to GDP in 2024 and provides about 225,000 jobs, according to a government website.
Transport Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bombardier did not immediately respond to enquiries. General Dynamics, the parent company of Gulfstream, declined to comment.
Additional reporting by Steff Chávez in Washington






