PBO to Examine Ottawa’s $19 Billion Purchase of F-35 Fighter Jets: Report

Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux prepares to appear before the Senate Committee on Official Languages, in Ottawa, on June 13, 2022. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)

Canada’s Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) will be examining the federal government’s recent $19 billion purchase of F-35 fighter jets and has written to Defence Minister Anita Anand requesting information from her department on the deal, according to a report.

“In order to provide the analysis to parliamentarians in a timely manner, I ask the information be provided to my office no later than February 13, 2023,” PBO Yves Giroux wrote to Anand in a letter on Jan. 16, according to the Ottawa Citizen.

The information Giroux has requested from National Defence includes data on the financial risk analysis prepared for procurement of the F-35s, planned flying hours for their fleet, details about their projected operating costs, a copy of the agreement signed with the U.S. government to provide the aircraft, and an annual summary of what the Canadian federal government spent on the F-35 development.

The Epoch Times contacted Giroux for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

Anand announced Ottawa’s purchase of 88 F-35 jets from the American company Lockheed-Martin on Jan. 9, saying that it represents the largest investment made in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 30 years.

The jets will be delivered in tranches over the next nine years, with the first four being delivered in 2026, the next six in 2027, and another six in 2028, according to Anand.

Costs

The government’s $19 billion investment will also cover costs associated with upgrading the air bases in Bagotville, Que., and Cold Lake, Alta., where the jets will be stationed.

The air bases will not be upgraded in time to accommodate the first 16 jets upon their delivery, so the F-35s will be temporarily located in the United States until the necessary improvements can be made.

The government’s $19 billion investment does not cover all costs that will come with the jets.

National Defence said during a Jan. 9 briefing that maintaining the F-35 fleet over the course of its operating lifetime will cost Ottawa another $70 billion.

The Trudeau government said in 2015 that it would launch an open competition to replace Canada’s outdated CF-18 Hornets, but would not purchase F-35 jets.

Trudeau’s remarks were a response to Stephen Harper’s Conservative government announcing intentions in 2010 to procure 65 F-35 jets without competition.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.