Bad Timing, Bad Quality, F-35 Jet Fighters to Be More Pain than Solution
The Harper government announced on Friday that it would invest $9 billion dollars into replacing Canada’s aged military aircrafts. In a time of economic uncertainty and in a time of reducing spending, such a large investment in an area that isn’t as prioritized as getting people back to work and restoring normality in Canada, is such an investment the right one? Currently, there is no concrete proof that claims that our current fighter jets absolutely need to be replaced immediately. Currently, there is no bids for the contract as it has already been made without consultation and without prior research. Currently, Canada is in debt and deficit and must focus on recovery in an ever so fragile state of the world.
The planes that the Harper government plans to buy are the exact same planes that the Americans bought and used in their military. However, these planes aren’t the best planes that we can have and both Republicans and Democrats in the United States are debating on whether the gamble was really worth it. While a long video, this video will thoroughly explain the main problems of this model of plane that will have a larger maintenance burden and lower quality as Americans have experienced.
If the F-35 jet fighters pose so many problems to the American military and budget, what will happen to ours? There is no definite need for our current planes to be replaced for the moment as there is no solid and public evidence to support it. Our country’s books are unbalanced and in the red, we should focus on the population before we look at our military’s toys. The process of getting these planes is flawed. There should be research into the manner and a competitive bid for the contract, model and price should be executed before even considering taking a one-way street.
The Conservative government has once again displayed incompetence and poor strategic thinking. Before looking at a military, the Canadian framework and economy should be solid. We shouldn’t buy from the United States because they are our best allies, but because their company won the bid. Based on the experiences of the American military and budget, the purchase of these planes was a costly mistake. If Stephen Harper wishes to make the mistakes that other countries have made, then so be it, but be ready to pay for these mistakes, and be ready to deal with an ever-growing frustration in the public’s eye. Now is no time to be looking at such an investment and now is no time to purchase without looking at every single aspect of its economic and quality-wise consequences.
If the Harper Conservatives aren’t ready to do their homework, then maybe they aren’t ready to govern or to position Canada’s economy onto the right track. Let us not forget that it is due to the Liberal government’s sound approach that brought this country great surpluses and stability that the country’s economy didn’t plunge as far as that of the United States. It wasn’t Harper, it was the framework that he is sitting on. The purchase of these planes pose as a great expense in manufacturing and a still unknown cost in maintenance. The Americans can easily say at this point that the purchase of these planes was a mistake. What will it take to convince the Conservative government that their closed room deals will cost us all billions in the future?
