An article by Murray Brewster, published in the Winnipeg Free Press looks at more signs that Canada may not be as tightly bound to their F-35 purchase plans:
The point man on the F-35 stealth fighter purchase says the Conservative government has not ruled out abandoning the troubled project.
“We have not, as yet, discounted the possibility, of course, of backing out of any of the program,” Julian Fantino associate defence minister, told the Commons defence committee on Tuesday.
He made the comment after a series of pointed questions from both opposition parties.
Fantino said the government is still committed to buying the radar-evading jet, but no contract has been signed.
The Conservatives still believe the high-tech jet is the best choice to replace the aging CF-18s, but the minister suggested they are taking a cautious approach.
None of the other nine allied nations involved in the program has yet withdrawn and the minister said: “We are not.”
[. . .]
In months of questioning in the House of Commons, Fantino has insisted there is no need for a backup plan in case of further delays in the project as the manufacturer works out software and design glitches.
But on Tuesday, he told the committee he was waiting for defence officials to prepare alternate scenarios to the F-35 deal, the so-called Plan B that opposition parties have demanded.
