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Exemption decision would ‘undermine our commitment to a fair procurement environment’

The decision by Mr. Lebel, who is also the Economic Development Minister for Quebec, means any additional jobs from the up to $200-million contract will be in Mirabel, not Fort Erie, near Mr. Dykstra’s St. Catharines riding in Ontario, where Eurocopter has a plant. The price tag could reach $1-billion over 20 years when maintenance is factored in.

Mike Winterburn, director of communications for Mr. Lebel, said the Transport Minister is not in a conflict situation because he “has no personal interest in this company and Transport Canada made the decision based solely on safety.”

He said the decision to grant the exemption was made “at the technical level by safety experts.”

The controversial purchase of the coast guard helicopters is just the latest procurement snafu to hit the Harper government in the wake of the decision to sole source the F35 fighter jet in 2010.

In 2011, the Transport ministry granted Bell Helicopter Textron Ltd. an exemption from aviation regulations, allowing their B429 light-lift helicopters to exceed the 7,000-lb weight limit by 500 lbs. — a move criticized by the international aviation community as a thinly veiled attempt at giving the Quebec-made B429s a competitive edge.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Agency and European Aviation Safety Agency both denied the weight exemption granted by Transport Canada, which said the B429 would be no less safe with the extra 500 lbs. According to emails obtained by the National Post, the FAA said the exemption was “not in the public interest,” while the European regulator said Transport Canada’s safety argument is “flawed.” Prior to Transport Canada’s move, all three regulators imposed a 7,000 lb. weight limit on “normal” or “light-weight” helicopters.