
Why WestJet is refusing Ottawa's 'market distorting' airline subsidies
From Hub Podcasts by Hub Canada Media
June 12, 2026 · 17 min
About this episode
The episode discusses WestJet's rejection of Ottawa's airline loan program and the implications of government intervention in the aviation sector.
Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer discuss Ottawa's new airline loan program, sparked by rising fuel costs from the ongoing Iran War. They explore WestJet's rejection of the government's proposal, and how government intervention creates market distortions and dependency in Canada's aviation sector. They then examine broader concerns about corporate welfare and protectionism across Canadian industries, and how these policies undermine both domestic competition and Canada's position in upcoming U.S. trade negotiations. The Hub is Canada’s fastest growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to The Hub's podcast feed to get our best content when you are on the go: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple) https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify) Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en CREDITS: Amal Attar-Guzman - Producer and Editor Rudyard Griffiths and Sean Speer - Hosts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: Rudyard Griffiths, Sean Speer
Topics covered
- airline subsidies
- government intervention
- market distortion
- corporate welfare
- Canadian aviation sector
- trade negotiations
Keywords
- WestJet
- Ottawa
- airline subsidies
- market distortion
- corporate welfare
- Canada
- trade negotiations
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: WestJet, Ottawa, Canada, The Hub
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