Harper government meets to discuss getting rid of costly F-35 jet deal

OTTAWA, Ont. – There is very little being said in the House of Commons, as the cabinet of the Harper Government meets to reportedly get rid of the F-35 fighter jet deal.

The purchase of the 65 stealth fighter jets, which were supposed to replace Canada’s aging CF-18’s, has been plagued with problems from the start, including soaring costs of up to $40-billion.

A KPMG audit is expected to be released next week, showing the price tag is well up from the initial $25-billion predicted in spring 2012 by the Auditor General and the Parliamentary Budget Officer.

Some of the key ministers involved in the deal have not been seen on Parliament Hill, Friday, such as Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose, who is away in Edmonton.

House Leader Peter Van Loan and other ministers stuck to the same answer every time they were asked what was going on, simply calling it “a seven-point plan which we have laid out clearly for the replacement of the CF-18 aircraft. We are continuing with that plan.”

Additionally, all Defence Minister Peter MacKay told reporters was that by next week, there would be “an open and transparent discussion about the next steps that are going to follow in the CF-18 replacement.”

Since the deal was announced over two years ago, the Conservatives insisted the full price for the multi-role, radar-evading jet would ring in at $16-billion, but the KPMG report is expected to show a range of figures for cost ownership, depending on the number of years the plane may be in service.

One report late Thursday speculated that a cabinet committee had decided to scrap the jet purchase all together, but the story was quickly denied by a number of senior government officials.

However, there is talk about the government looking at other options, which would stop the sole-source deal for the F-35’s and hold an open competition for several different companies and replacement jets.

Meanwhile, Liberal critic John McKay said in his eyes, the deal is dead, but added that the government has messed this up from the beginning.

“They stonewalled. They faked the numbers. I think it’s very difficult to reset anything until you actually start with an apology, because how can you actually believe the process going forward?” he asked.

“Here we are, five years (and) a billion dollars later, and we’re at a point where they’re cancelling the whole program.”

Meanwhile, NDP defence critic Jack Harris told reporters the government has been misleading Canadians.

“This is clearly a case of hiding the truth from the public, buying an aircraft that they want our children to pay for, that’s totally out of control,” he said.

With the increasing price tag, the delivery date has also moved, now predicted to be in use by 2019. The CF-18’s will hit the end of their lifespan in 2020.

The government said they will definitely make more details public before the House breaks for Christmas. 

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