(Figures in U.S. dollars unless otherwise stated)
By Leah Schnurr and David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, May 2 (Reuters) - The top Canadian official probing
a request by planemaker Bombardier Inc BBDb.TO for aid to
support its new CSeries passenger jet on Monday indicated for
the first time that Ottawa actively wanted to help the company,
highlighting the number of jobs it provides.
Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains until now has said merely
that the Liberal government would closely examine Bombardier's
request for $1 billion in aid and outlined some of the
concessions he wants in return.
But on Monday he went notably further, detailing how much
help Ottawa had given the company over the last 40 years and
stressing the number of aerospace jobs across Canada that
depended on Bombardier continuing to operate.
"We've been there with the company in the past, we've
continued to remain engaged with the company and we want to be
part of a solution going forward," he told reporters. The
CSeries is years late and billions of dollars over budget.
The government has previously said it wants assurances on
jobs, investment in research and the location of Bombardier's
headquarters, which are in the predominantly French-speaking
province of Quebec.
Noting that Bombardier has 950 suppliers across Canada,
Bains added: "This is not simply a Quebec issue. This is a
Canadian issue. This is a strong Canadian brand. We believe in
it."
Bains later told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp that Ottawa
had provided C$1.3 billion ($1.0 billion) in loans and
contributions to the firm over the past four decades.
This sum infuriates critics who complain Ottawa is engaging
in corporate welfare to support a badly run company.
Sources say Ottawa is pressing Bombardier over its
dual-class share structure, which is disliked by investors and
analysts alike on the grounds it gives the company's founding
families too much control.
Executives said last week they had no intention of changing
the structure. Asked about those comments, Bains told the CBC
that the share structure was just one of many issues that needed
to be addressed, but gave no further details.
Last week the CSeries received a major boost when Delta Air
Lines Inc DAL.N ordered 75 of the jets with an option for
another 50.
($1=$1.25 Canadian)
(Writing by David Ljunggren; Editing by Leslie Adler)