News
Liberals vow to cancel stealth fighter deal
Oct. 27, 2010, Ottawa - Michael Ignatieff says a Liberal government would cancel the multibillion-dollar, sole-source stealth fighter contract and hold an open competition to replace the country's aging CF-18s.
October 27, 2010 By The Canadian Press
The Liberal leader says Tuesday's report by the auditor general about the contracting fiasco involving military helicopters is a wake up call for parliamentarians.
The Conservative government last summer committed to buying 65 F-35 Lightning II jetfighters from U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin at an estimated cost of $14 billion to $16 billion.
Opposition parties and defence critics have been calling ever since for Ottawa to get bids from other defence contractors, but the federal government argues there are no other similar jets in the same class.
Ignatieff says the public is questioning whether the country needs stealth fighters to defend its airspace — especially given the huge deficit the Tories have run up.
He says Liberals will get Canadians better value for money.
