On December 13, 2024, the 2024-25 OLIP interns had the pleasure of meeting with Bombardier! Our team met with Sandra Buckler, Senior Director of External Affairs and Public Relations, and Sophie Nielubowizc, Government Affairs Advisor.
The vision for the Bombardier began with Joseph-Armand Bombardier of Quebec, who built his first “snow vehicle at just 15 years old. Since then, the brand has been inspired by mechanical and entrepreneurial excellence in helping people travel, while in developing its products, evolving through snow vehicles, rail travel, and finally air travel. With its over 80 years of growth, Bombardier is now Canada’s premier manufacturer for private and defense aircraft.
During our meeting, we discussed a variety of aspects of company’s external communications and government relations activities, such as strategic communications across Bombardier businesses, media relations, as well as community and stakeholder engagement in Ontario. We also discussed the implications of changing trade relationships between Canada and the United States for Bombardier, including the specific impacts of a looming tariff threat, and the rewards, challenges, and complexities of managing integrated supply chains.
One of the highlights of our meeting with Ms. Buckler and Ms. Nielubowizc was learning about the process of Bombardier producing the first business jet to break the sound barrier. We had the chance to watch the video of Bombardier’s FTV5 jet reaching supersonic speed, a feat accomplished during a test flight in May, 2021.
Thank you so much to Bombardier for your continued, generous support of OLIP over the years, and especially to Ms. Buckler and Ms. Nielubowizc for being generous and candid in your time with the 2024-25 OLIP intern cohort. We’re looking forward to planning our site visit to Bombardier’s new and state-of-the-art facility in Mississauga later this year!
