Canada Is Playing with Fire over F-35 Fighter Deal

Canada is looking for any excuse not to go through with the purchase of 88 F-35s from the United States.

The latest complaint is that the Liberal administration of Mark Carney believes that Canada has been “short-changed on industrial benefits” out of its contract with Lockheed Martin to purchase American-made F-35 stealth fighter jets, Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Tuesday.

“We believe that we didn’t get enough when it comes to the F-35,” Joly said to the news media on Parliament Hill.

“The industrial benefits are not enough. There needs to be more jobs created out of the F-35 contract. That’s clear to me and clear to this government,” she added.

Saab is dangling 10,000 jobs in a last-minute full-court press for Ottawa to ditch the F-35 for the Saab JAS-39 Gripen fighter jet. Saab is offering to build the Canadian JAS 39 Gripen in Canada.