OTTAWA – Through thick and thin, including an election call, the Conservatives have stood by their commitment to the embattled F-35 fighter jet program.
Here’s a look back at the ongoing saga.
May 27, 2010 – Defence Minister Peter MacKay let it slip that Canada had chosen the F-35s as the replacement for the aging CF-18 fighter jets during a late night House of Commons debate. MacKay later said he misspoke and that the F-35 was one of at least two aircraft being considered.
July 16, 2010 – The federal government announces it would purchase 65 F-35 fighter jets for $9 billion, plus $7 billion for 20 years of maintenance. The decision was made without an open bidding process for what would be the country’s largest-ever military purchase.
October 26, 2010 – Auditor General Sheila Fraser releases a report raising red flags about government defence procurement. She predicts the F-35 purchase could be expected to cost far more than what is budgeted.
March 10, 2011 – Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page releases a report estimating Canada’s planned purchase of the 65 F-35 fighter jets will cost the government $28.5 billion over a 30-year period.
March 25, 2011 – The controversy around the F-35 fighter jets helps trigger the federal election after MPs found the Conservative government in contempt of Parliament for withholding documentation about the estimated costs of corporate tax cuts, proposed crime legislation and the cost of the F-35s. On March 25 the Liberals introduced a motion of non-confidence and citing the government in contempt of Parliament.
The F-35 program became an election issue with the Liberals promising to cancel the program and the NDP saying it would review the purchase after studying Canada’s defence policies. The Conservatives stood by their decision to purchase the jets saying they were a necessary and responsible investment.
October 2011 – Media break the news that the F-35s won’t have the capability to communicate via the satellite network used in the Canadian Arctic.
November 8, 2011 – Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino visits Lockheed Martin’s plant in Forth Worth, Texas in November, armed with briefing notes that encouraged him to voice the government’s concerns about the costs, production schedules and transparency of the F-35 program. He reiterates the government’s support for the program publicly while there.
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December 2, 2011 – U.S. Vice-Admiral David Venlet said Pentagon officials found cracks and hot spots in the fighter jet’s frame.
December 12, 2011 – While Canada had originally planned to buy 65 F-35 fighter jets, Fantino said the government has not yet decided the final number.
December 20, 2011 – The Conservative government reiterates its opinion that the F-35 is the best aircraft available to replace the CF-18s after Japan signs on to buy the planes as well.
January 26, 2012 – U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta confirms his country is slowing production on the F-35s. The slower ramp up forces Fantino to review what impact the delay would have on Canada’s planned purchase.
March 13, 2012 – Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino tells the House of Commons’ defence committee the government has not ruled out ditching the F-35 program.
March 20, 2012 – The U.S. Government Accountability Office issues a critical report on the F-35 project. The report raises warnings about the costs of the program, technical problems, and the jet’s poor performance results. The report put the per-unit cost of the F-35 between $137 and $162 million, compared to the $75 million the Conservatives expected.
March 27, 2012 – While on a trip to South Korea, Harper again tells reporters the country will remain in the stealth-fighter project. He says Canada’s aerospace industry has already received hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts from the process.
April 3, 2012 – Auditor General Michael Ferguson releases a critical report on Canada’s F-35 program. The report says the Conservative government is publicly underestimating the cost of Canada’s plan to buy next generation stealth fighter jets by at least $9 billion.
April 5, 2012 – Auditor General Michael Ferguson says Conservative cabinet ministers knew the true cost estimate of the F-35s was $25 billion, even while National Defence was publicly putting the price tag at $14.7 billion. The accusations ignited outrage from the Opposition who said the Conservatives misled Parliament and called for the ministers responsible to resign.
April 19, 2012 – MPs hold an emergency meeting in Ottawa to examine the auditor general’s report. The meeting was held during a week in which the House of Commons was not sitting. After two raucus hours, the MPs decided very little. While Liberal and NDP members tried to use the meeting to establish a list of bureaucrats, politicians and experts to invite as witnesses, the Conservatives pushed to hold that discussion at the committee’s next meeting, on Tuesday, April 24.
April 25, 2012: Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page is asked to dig into the costs of the F-35 fighter jets once again. Liberal defence critic John McKay asked Page to perform another costing for the purchase and maintenance of the war planes. The request comes just weeks after the auditor general’s maiden report revealed a $10-billion discrepancy between internal and public estimates.
April 26, 2012: Auditor general Michael Ferguson says he doesn’t know who in the federal government was aware of the fudged stealth fighter figures.
May 3, 2012: The F-35 fight resumes as Canada’s parliamentary watchdog is accusing the Harper government of lowballing the cost of new F-35 fighter jets.
May 4, 2012: A look back at the questions and accusations about who knew what and when about the costs of the F-35 fighter jets that occurred in the House of Commons during question period this week.
May 7, 2012: The Speaker of the House of Commons rejects a complaint that government ministers misled Parliament on the costs of the F-35 fighter jet program.
May 8, 2012: Critics want the military to provide more justification for its choice of the F-35 stealth fighter.
May 15, 2012: The auditor general is blasting critics of his report on the Harper government’s stealth fighter program, standing behind his facts and figures.
May 16, 2012: The Harper government calls in the RCMP to investigate the decision to sole-source the purchase of the F-35 stealth fighter, and the junior defence minister makes a hasty retreat from their previous position, now saying the government is looking for all options to replace the air force’s aging CF-18 fighter-bombers.
May 29, 2012: The federal government appears set to shut down the only public investigation into Ottawa’s fumbling of the F-35 fighter jet purchase.
June 4, 2012: The Harper government is revising its multi-billion shopping list of equipment for the Canadian military, after recently being hammered by the opposition for lowballing the cost of the F-35 stealth fighter program.
June 5, 2012: A response to an opposition question reveals that an infamous 2010 news conference to announce Canada’s plan to buy 65 stealth fighters cost taxpayers more than $47,000.
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