Ottawa’s Purchasing Delay of F-35 Jets ‘Severely Impacted’ Canadian Air Force: Former Defence Minister

A pilot manoeuvres an F-35 jet as military personnel participate in a NATO exercise on the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth off the coast of Portugal, on May 27, 2021. Ana Brigida /AP Photo

The Liberal government’s long delay in purchasing F-35 fighter jets has impacted the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) “quite severely” and put Canada behind foreign military competition, says former defence minister Peter MacKay.

“The delay, of course, has impacted quite severely on the Royal Canadian Air Force in terms of recruitment and retention of pilots, fighter aircraft capability, and the world has changed,” MacKay told CTV News on Jan. 10.