Government to follow Canadian military's lead on F-35, defence minister says
Defence Minister David McGuinty says a review of the controversial purchase of the U.S.-made jet fighters should be released shortly
Article content
Defence Minister David McGuinty says the Liberal government will take its lead on the F-35 decision from the military as he expects a report on the U.S.-built fighter jet to be delivered shortly.
The review of the controversial F-35 purchase is still in the hands of Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence officials, he confirmed.
Recommended Videos
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Government to follow Canadian military's lead on F-35, defence minister says Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
But McGuinty, during a tour of Canadian Forces Base Borden, Ont., on Aug. 11 pointed out that he expected the review to be released shortly and outlined the next steps.
“When the review is completed, we can take our lead from the experts that performed the review both in the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces,” McGuinty told journalists. “Obviously it would be strange if they didn’t look at the operational needs going forward, and I’m sure they’ll have a lot more to say about that.”
Reuters news service reported Aug. 7 that the Canadian military was recommending that Canada stick with its proposed purchase of 88 U.S.-built F-35s. That recommendation didn’t come as a surprise for observers since the Canadian Forces originally lobbied for and selected the American fighter jet.
The Ottawa Citizen asked the Canadian Forces and DND for comment on Aug. 5 and Aug. 12 about the status of the F-35 review and its expected release date.
DND spokesperson Cheryl Forrest noted in an email that “the F-35 review is still expected to be finalized by the end of this summer.” No further details were provided.
McGuinty has previously said the review will be completed by the end of the summer and will be made public.
The final decision on whether Canada proceeds with the F-35 purchase will be made by Prime Minister Mark Carney, who ordered the review of Canada’s purchase in the wake of threats against Canadian sovereignty by U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. has become increasingly hostile to Canada, with Trump continuing with his economic efforts to punish Canada and push for this country to become the 51st state.
But Canadian Forces leaders are very close to their U.S. counterparts and have been pushing for more integration and co-operation between the two militaries even as Trump has threatened the Canadian economy.
At this point, Canada has only financially committed to purchasing 16 jets from the U.S. government. The entire order was for 88 aircraft, which would be manufactured by the American defence giant Lockheed Martin.
In a June 10 interview with journalists about the F-35, McGuinty talked about the need to have fighter jets that would be interoperable with the U.S. “There’s a question of the interoperability, there’s a question of interoperability in the United States, there’s a question of interoperability with all of our NATO allies,” he said. “This is not inconsequential in decisions, in timing, in choices.”
Any decision to stay with the American jet comes as the price of the F-35 continues to increase. In June, Auditor General Karen Hogan issued a report that Canada’s F-35 purchase had already jumped in cost from $19 billion to $27.7 billion. Another $5.5 billion will be needed to achieve full operation capability for the planes, Hogan added.
The Swiss government complained in an Aug. 13 statement that its contract of a fixed price for its F-35 order had been abandoned by the U.S. and it was facing higher costs for the planes.
The government stated that while Switzerland remained committed to the F-35 it had also launched a review to determine whether the country’s current air defence needs still corresponded to the original decision to buy the F-35. The review, being led by the senior air force commander, will produce a report by the end of November.
Some Swiss politicians have called for the cancellation of the F-35 order after Trump hit their country with a 39 per cent tariff.
Former defence procurement chief Alan Williams and various defence analysts have warned that the F-35 represents a strategic vulnerability for Canada since the U.S. would have total control over software upgrades and spare parts on the aircraft.
The Ottawa Citizen reported May 5 that the U.S. would own all parts for Canada’s F-35s even when they were located at Canadian bases.
In addition, retired Lt.-Gen. Yvan Blondin, the air force general who originally recommended Canada buy the F-35 fighter jet, recently said the purchase should no longer go forward as planned because the U.S. had become so untrustworthy.
European defence firms say they could offer Canada fighter jets to replace the F-35. At least one has proposed previously to build the planes in Canada.
David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.