U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening to impose steep tariffs on Canadian-made aircrafts, escalating a dispute over aviation certification that he claims has unfairly blocked U.S. jet sales in Canada.
Trump made the threat in a social media post Thursday, accusing Canada of “wrongfully” refusing to certify several models of U.S.-made Gulfstream jets and calling the process a barrier to U.S. aircraft sales north of the border.
Trump said his administration would respond by decertifying Canadian-made aircraft in the U.S., including jets produced by Bombardier, unless Canada moves to approve the Gulfstream models.
He also warned that if the issue is not “immediately corrected,” the U.S. will impose a 50 per cent tariff on any aircraft sold from Canada into the U.S. market, a move that could have major implications for the aerospace sector on both sides of the border.
Bombardier Jet planes are assembled at Bombardier’s aircraft assembly centre in Mississauga, Ont., on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan
Bombardier and Gulfstream are longtime rivals in the global business jet market, competing directly in the large-cabin, long-range category favoured by corporate and government clients – the same models cited in Trump’s social media post.
Among them are the Gulfstream G500 and G600, which entered service earlier and are widely used by corporate and government operators, as well as the newer G700 and G800, the company’s flagship long-range jets.
Bombardier, headquartered in Montreal, manufactures the Global series of business jets and is one of Canada’s largest aerospace employers.
The Gulfstream aircraft compete directly with Bombardier’s jets, including the Global 6500, Global 7500 and Global 8000, which dominate the same long-range category and are already certified for operation in both Canada and the U.S.
Certification determines whether aircraft can be sold, registered and flown in a country. Any delay or refusal can put manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage.
More to come…