To the Editor:
Canada's new Auditor-General couldn't be more scathing than he was yesterday about gross mismanagement and obvious dishonesty in the Harper government's attempted purchase of new military fighter-jets.
Everyone knows that Canada's ageing CF-18 airplanes need to be replaced. Their useful lifespan expires shortly after 2020.
The Auditor-General applauded the way Liberals handled this issue before 2006. But as soon as the Harper regime took power, it all got badly mangled.
This government has never provided a clear mission statement about what exactly the replacement aircraft will be expected to do in future. All they will say - without detail or justification - is Canada "must" have the most expensive F-35 "stealth" jet-fighter, manufactured by Lockheed-Martin.
But there are at least four other possible suppliers, probably at better prices.
The government should have published detailed specifications for new planes to satisfy Canadian defense and foreign policy requirements. Then, it should have launched a full, open, competitive bidding process to identify the most suitable plane at the best possible price with maximum industrial benefits for the Canadian economy.
But instead, without tendering, the Harper regime just handpicked their favourite American supplier. Worse still, they deliberately kept Parliament in the dark!
For 21 months, the Liberal Opposition asked questions about escalating costs, design and performance problems, production delays, suitability issues (i.e., can it function in the Arctic?), and a growing number of other countries walking away from the F-35.
The government's response - directed by Mr. Harper personally - was complete denial. They accused all who asked questions of being disloyal to Canada.
Even more disgraceful, at a time when they knew full well that the real cost of the project would approach $29-billion, they insisted it was only half that. They deliberately falsified the figures.
It is Mr. Harper's job to know the truth and tell the truth. And he failed!
Ralph Goodale, MP, Wascana, SK.
