Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday revealed that economic pressure from Western allies had risked pushing Canada closer to China.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the CNBC CONVERGE LIVE event in Singapore, Trudeau said the U.S. and Europe had \u201calmost driven\u201d Canada \u201cinto China’s arms\u201d during a period of intense competition in the aerospace sector.<\/p>\n
He pointed to the struggles of Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier and its C Series aircraft program, launched in 2008. According to Trudeau, pressure from rivals Airbus and Boeing made it difficult for Bombardier to secure airline buyers, opening the door for Chinese investors to step in with what he described as a \u201cdump truck full of money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Canada ultimately avoided a Chinese deal after Airbus took a majority stake in the program in 2018, later rebranded as the A220. But Trudeau framed the episode as a near-miss that underscored the unintended consequences of competition among allied economies.<\/p>\n
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The risk is that when like-minded countries compete too aggressively with each other, they create opportunities for strategic competitors, he explained.<\/p>\n
“It took me around the G7 table in Sicily \u2026 in 2017 saying to Macron and Merkel and Trump, you are driving us into Chinese pockets, into Chinese hands to protect jobs. They’re willing to pay anything to get this,” Trudeau added.<\/p>\n
Canada is navigating strained ties with the U.S. amid tariffs and trade tensions, with Prime Minister Mark Carney pushing to diversify partnerships and reduce economic dependence.<\/p>\n
Trudeau also linked the issue to trade tensions under President Donald Trump, citing 50% tariffs on Canadian Aluminum and threats targeting the auto sector. Those measures, he said, forced Canadian industries to diversify partnerships, including turning to Europe for aluminum exports.<\/p>\n