Playing politics with military procurement leaves our forces with costly and aging aircraft

Dan Albas is the Conservative Party MP for the driving of Central Okanagan—Similkameen—Nicola. This riding features the communities of Kelowna (unique boundaries), West Kelowna, Peachland, Summerland, Keremeos, Princeton, Merritt and Logan Lake.

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Prime Minister Trudeau has very long held a firm placement on the Lockheed Martin F-35 multi-purpose jet fighter aircraft.

In 2015 his guarantee to Canadians was clear “we will not purchase the F-35 stealth fighter bomber.”

PM Trudeau further more said the F-35 “did not work” and that “it no more time will make feeling, if it ever did, to have a stealth, initially-strike capability fifth-generation fighter.”

Things transformed this 7 days as the Trudeau Liberal Government declared that it has now determined that the F-35 will be the most popular substitute aircraft for the CF-18.

Negotiations will now begin to purchase 88 new F-35 fighter jets at a now approximated charge of about $19 billion.

What was also incredibly intriguing about this Liberal determination was that not long ago released documents obtained underneath Entry to Facts uncovered the Liberal Federal government communication tactic to justify paying for the F-35 was developed two many years back, in 2020.

Why was a “communications strategy” needed?

As described by the Ottawa Citizen, it was to “justify how the federal government could acquire the F-35 even however Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed Canada would not invest in the stealth fighter and experienced no use for it.”

What was in this communication method?

Tips to stay clear of “dealing with the direct statements from the Liberals that the F-35 would not be bought. As an alternative, the concentrate was on the procurement course of action itself.”

This is mainly what Procurement Minister Filomena Tassi did at the announcement that PM Trudeau did not go to.

This is not the initial time the Liberals have played politics when it will come to changing ageing machines demanded by our forces.

Numerous may recall that in 1992 the Liberals also campaigned to cancel the EH-101 helicopter alternative for the getting old Sea-King helicopter.

This cancellation value taxpayers $478 million in penalties when the Liberals cancelled the $4.8 billion EH-101 helicopter purchase that was to switch the growing older Sea-Kings.

Cancelling the substitute for the Sea-King did not negate the need to exchange this getting old helicopter, it only delayed it even further, and at a substantially better price tag to taxpayers.

In simple fact when the similar Liberal federal government, only a couple a long time afterwards declared the alternative of the Sea-King, the new helicopters arrived at an greater charge mentioned to be $6.2 billion.

When that agreement was last but not least signed for 28 new CH-148 Cyclone helicopters the full expense experienced improved much more to $7.6 billion.

Simply because of the several delays produced by this Liberal cancellation, an additional $495 million maintenance contract was required to keep the 55-calendar year-previous Sea-King helicopters safely in the air.

I point out all of this for the reason that taking part in politics with military services procurement does minor extra than leave our forces with growing older, considerably less effective plane that is pretty expensive to fly.

It also drives up the eventual replacement charges to taxpayers.

My dilemma this 7 days:

Do you help the acquire of the 88 Lockheed Martin F-35 jet fighters?