Government to follow Canadian military's lead on F-35, defence minister says
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.
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The review of the controversial F-35 purchase is still in the hands of Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence officials, he confirmed.
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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.
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'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.'
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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.
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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.
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McGuinty has previously said the review will be completed by the end of the summer and will be made public.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Winnipeg Free Press
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