‘This is more of an actual intent to purchase four aircraft’: NDP Defence critic

WATCH: Tom Clark talks to NDP defence critic Jack Harris about leaked documents which suggest Canada wants to buy at least four F-35 stealth fighters

OTTAWA – The Harper government has signalled to Washington that it wants to buy at least four F-35 stealth fighters.

A leaked U.S. Department of Defence slide presentation shows Canada has asked to swap places with the U.S. Air Force and place the order in the current fiscal year, which means a possible delivery date of either 2016 or 2017.

The Oct. 27. 2014, briefing says the Americans would make it up by taking four of the aircraft Canada already planned to buy in 2019.

“We’re not talking about something that’s a signal. This is more of the actual intent to purchase four aircraft in a production line on a program that’s supposed to be stalled waiting for proper consideration,” said NDP Defence critic Jack Harris in an interview on The West Block with Tom Clark.

Harris has a copy of the briefing by U.S. Lt.-Gen. Chris Bogdan – head of the F-35 program at the Pentagon – which also said Canada would have to provide a letter of intent by mid-November and that the U.S. project office would have to notify Congress.

“I think Canadians are not going to be very happy with this decision being made without any notice,” Harris told Clark. “This is not something that should be done behind the backs of Canadians without proper debate in Parliament.”

The Conservative government put its plan to buy 65 stealth fighters on hold almost two years ago after both the auditor general and the parliamentary budget officer criticized both National Defence and Public Works, saying the cost of the program had been lowballed and not enough homework had been done.

“No decision has been made on the replacement of Canada’s CF-18 fleet,” a spokesperson for Public Works Minister Diane Finley said in an email. “The CF-18s are being life-extended to maintain a fighter capability through 2025.”

– with files from The Canadian Press

WATCH ABOVE: The Harper government wants at least four F-35s and it wants the order to be put ahead of the U.S. Air Force, according to a leaked U.S. Dept. of Defense slideshow. Tom Clark discusses.