OUR FIGHT CONTINUES
Supporting evidence for the Bloodhound Trucking federal petition campaign. If anyone challenges the bailout figures used in the petition update, this sheet has the numbers, dates, types of support, and sources.
**Central message:** If governments can provide emergency financing to major corporations, independent Canadian trucking owner-operators deserve a fair opportunity to access emergency financing too. The petition asks for a repayable emergency bridge-loan program — not a handout.
**Guardrails — what these figures prove and don't prove:**
- These were different programs, with different terms. Not all of the assistance was repaid.
- The GM/Chrysler figure is historical bailout support actually provided in 2009.
- The Air Canada figure is financing *made available* (a package ceiling), not money fully drawn — Air Canada ultimately used only part of it.
- These examples show governments *can* create emergency financing when they choose to. They do not prove any specific program would work for trucking. The petition asks for a comparable opportunity, not identical treatment.
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## 1. Canada Post — ~$2 billion in repayable loans
- **Amount:** ~$2.04 billion total ($1.03 billion + $1.01 billion)
- **Dates:** January 2025 ($1.03B loan announced); February 2026 ($1.01B additional loan)
- **Type of support:** Short-term repayable loans from the federal government, described as a financial bridge to keep the Crown corporation solvent while it pursues reforms. Canada Post had not been profitable for seven years.
- **Sources:**
- Canadian Press (Feb 10, 2026): https://www.barchart.com/story/news/141381/procurement-minister-says-loans-to-canada-post-aren-t-a-long-term-solution
## 2. Air Canada — up to C$5.9 billion financing package
- **Amount:** Up to C$5.9 billion (package ceiling — financing made available, not fully drawn)
- **Date:** April 12, 2021 (Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility — LEEFF)
- **Type of support:** Federal financing package: loans (secured and unsecured credit), a $500 million equity stake (6%), plus a refund facility for passengers. Air Canada ultimately drew only about $949M of the loan facility (for passenger refunds) and withdrew from the major funding provisions in November 2021, leaving roughly $3.98B unused. The government retained its equity stake.
- **Sources:**
- Reuters (Apr 12, 2021): https://wixx.com/2021/04/12/air-canada-signs-c5-9-billion-government-aid-package-agrees-to-buy-airbus-boeing-jets/
- Air Canada withdrawal / amounts drawn: https://www.airport-technology.com/news/air-canada-government-relief/
## 3. GM and Chrysler — ~$13.7 billion combined (2009)
- **Amount:** ~C$13.7 billion combined Canadian (federal + Ontario) support. GM received ~$10.8 billion; Chrysler received ~$2.9 billion.
- **Date:** 2009 (financial crisis; fiscal 2009/10)
- **Type of support:** Loans, most of which were exchanged for equity on GM's exit from bankruptcy in 2010 (Canada received 11.7% of GM common stock plus preferred shares, later sold). This is historical bailout support actually provided — do NOT attribute the full $13.7 billion to GM alone.
- **Sources:**
- Government of Canada backgrounder (GM $10.8B, equity exchange): https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2015/04/backgrounder-divestiture-government-remaining-shares-general-motors.html
- Fraser Institute (combined $13.7B to GM + Chrysler): https://www.fraserinstitute.org/commentary/government-auto-bailout-474000-gm-employee
## 4. Bombardier — over $4 billion in public funds over decades
- **Amount:** Over $4 billion cumulative
- **Period:** Since 1966 (cumulative, not a single package)
- **Type of support:** Mix of direct contributions, repayable loans, and equity injections from federal and Quebec governments, including US$1 billion from Quebec for the C Series (2015) and a $372.5 million federal loan (2017). Figures vary slightly by what is counted; "over $4 billion in public funds over the decades" is the defensible summary.
- **Sources:**
- Skies Magazine / Montreal Economic Institute: https://skiesmag.com/press-releases/bombardier-4-billion-public-funds-since-1966/
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## Deliberately excluded
These items appeared in the supporter's original list but are NOT used in petition materials:
- **Steel, aluminum, forestry — $13.7 billion:** No matching official figure found. The coincidence with the auto-bailout $13.7B is a red flag. Excluded.
- **Bombardier CEO "$7.8 million package":** Does not match publicly reported compensation/severance figures (Bellemare's 2017 pay was US$10.63M; his later separation package was up to $17.5M). Excluded.
- **Vancouver $1.4 billion loan (Sen̓áḵw):** Real — a CMHC loan to the Squamish Nation's Sen̓áḵw housing project, the largest CMHC loan ever, for ~3,000 homes. Excluded because it is a housing loan to an Indigenous nation, not comparable to corporate liquidity support, and using it would invite attacks that cut against the petition's inclusive framing.