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“Engine failures will still occur, and when they do so away from an airport, a second engine is the only thing that can prevent a crash. The issue is especially important for Canada, which has the longest coastline in the world and vast Arctic territories,” Byers writes.

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Byers is a former NDP candidate who lost in a Vancouver riding in the 2008 federal election.

Public Works Minister Diane Finley’s spokesperson says no decision has been made on the F-35.

“Real independent third-party experts, with access to the real facts are working to ensure the reports being prepared by DND are rigorous and impartial,” Finley’s spokesperson, Alyson Queen, said in an email. “Ministers will be carefully reviewing information from the independent panel prior to making any decision on replacing the CF-18 fleet.”

The federal government’s search for a replacement for the aging CF-18 fleet has been fraught with controversy and stops and starts.

In 2012, the Conservatives put a temporary halt on the purchase of the F-35 after a series of damning reports by Canada’s auditor general and Parliamentary Budget Office. A group of senior officials was appointed to examine the government options to replace the CF-18 but no decision has publicly been made.

Last week Reuters, citing sources, said Canada would soon announce it would be purchasing 65 F-35 fighters.

The Department of National Defence initially pegged the cost of the F-35 project at about $14.7 billion but former Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page said the price would actually be closer to $29 billion.