'The clock is ticking mighty fast,' says defence analyst about plan to buy interim jet fighters by 2019
By Murray Brewster, CBC News
Posted: Aug 08, 2017 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 08, 2017 5:00 AM ET
A proposal outlining the industrial benefits Boeing is prepared to deliver to Canadian companies in exchange for a sole-source interim fighter jet contract will land on desks at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Wednesday.
The pitch is being made even though the Liberal government has suspended discussions with the U.S. aerospace giant over a separate trade complaint and is reviewing the military purchase, which Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has claimed is urgent.
The proposal deadline renews concerns about the Liberal government's plan to replace the air force's aging fleet of CF-18s on both an interim basis and a long-term plan.
Buying 18 advanced Super Hornet fighters was described as necessary last fall in order for the air force to meet all of its obligations under both Norad and NATO simultaneously.
The government told Boeing last fall that it wanted delivery of the first jet by 2019.
"If that is the case, the clock is ticking mighty fast," said Dave Perry, a Canadian Global Affairs Institute analyst who tracks defence procurements......Read rest of article: HERE
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