QUEBEC CITY – There is some good hidden in the bad news of job cuts for Bombardier, said Premier Philippe Couillard Wednesday.
He insisted that meant good news for Quebec as the troubled company moves “in the direction of the future.”
READ MORE: What does Bombardier eliminating 7,000 jobs mean for Canada?
The Liberal government has invested $1 billion in Montreal-based Bombardier CSeries jets; the premier still believes that was the right move.
“Where we invested is the section of Bombardier that is growing. The CSeries is the most innovative part of the company,” Couillard said.
The premier insisted his government was right to invest in that section, and not the subsidiary company.
READ MORE: Bombardier to eliminate 7,000 jobs, announces deal with Air Canada
He said proof is that most of the job losses announced Wednesday are in the business jet (or private jet) section of the company.
Quebec’s opposition parties don’t share the government’s optimism.
“Why should public money subsidize a company that will reduce employment?” said Parti Québécois leader Pierre Karl Péladeau.
“I say the deal needs to be renegotiated.”
Both the PQ and the Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) argued the government is taking a big risk by not investing in Bombardier as a whole.
WATCH: Bombardier job cuts
During question period, CAQ leader François Legault called it a sad day that 2,400 Quebecers will now be out of work.
He said the government has not put in any conditions to protect jobs, nor receive a guarantee that Bombardier’s main offices will remain in Quebec.
READ MORE: Quebec drops lawsuit against Air Canada after Bombardier announcement
The federal government also expressed concern about job losses Wednesday, but federal transport minister Marc Garneau made no definitive remarks on whether his government would aid in the Bombardier bailout.
“There is no way, no way that the federal government should not invest in Bombardier, in the CSeries,” Couillard said.
He explained that if the auto industry is deserving of a bailout, so is Montreal’s aeronautical industry.
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