QUEBEC CITY – Opposition parties say the government should go back to the table and renegotiate its proposed deal with Bombardier.
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After two separate meetings with the company’s management, opposition leaders insist there’s room to re-examine the province’s agreement to invest $1.3 billion in the aerospace company.
“We are working for the taxpayers of Quebec,” said Parti Québécois (PQ) leader Pierre Karl Péladeau.
“We need to protect the money Quebecers are investing in the company.”
Péladeau insisted the deal Premier Philippe Couillard struck with Bombardier is still not adequate.
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He said he walked away from a meeting with the company’s top brass Monday morning more convinced than ever.
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“We’re taking all the risk and there’s no upside,” he said.
“We had the capacity to have upsides by investing in the parent company to be able to enjoy all the other assets that Bombardier is joining.”
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On this issue, the two opposition parties have shown a united front.
Coalition Avenir Quebec leader François Legault met with Bombardier management for about two hours on Friday.
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Both leaders want the manufacturer of the C Series aircraft to guarantee jobs and keep its head office in Quebec.
They said they are also concerned that the federal government still hasn’t given any indication on whether it will invest.