Now that Canada has decided on which fighter it wants, let’s talk about what else matters beyond the capability of the F-35 or how much it is all going to cost Canadians…. let’s talk about jobs.  There was so much chatter about guaranteed work from the other competitors, jobs that may or may not have been linked to high tech aerospace work but that would have satisfied the socialist mindset of promised work, not necessarily valuable work.  Instead, Canada chose capitalism and the chance to benefit from the enormous scale of production and sustainment linked to the franchise F-35 program.

One of smartest political speeches in modern times, then candidate Justin Trudeau said: “We will not buy the F-35 fighter jet”. Strategically brilliant; that speech helped pivot an electorate in favor of Liberal party when to that point, polls ran the election as a 3-way race.

The recent Arbour report took aim at the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and its inability to reform itself. The report gave a special shout-out to the military colleges, questioning their need moving forward. The crisis of identity that the military and these educational institutions are facing needs to be recognized as a final warning.

Does anyone on God’s green earth think that after 20 years of this Canada F-35 saga, spending millions upon millions of dollars and dedicating enormous manpower, establishing all the manufacturing subcontractors for the F-35 Enterprise, Lockheed Martin and the US government won’t do everything in their power to complete the deal for Canada’s next fighter? 

This is not F-35’s first rodeo!

This decision eclipses just buying a new fighter. So many times, over so many years, the Canadian government procurement system has failed the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces. All of us veterans know the tales of bad decisions, political interference and substandard kit given to men and women who have to make it work while other countries were smart enough to buy the equipment needed to do their missions. Seldom has Canada bought the right equipment at the right time.