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The Canadian government is preparing a letter for Congress outlining its plan to purchase four F-35 stealth fighters in 2017, according to U.S. military documents.

U.S. Lt.-Gen. Chris Bogdan, head of the F-35 program, noted in an Oct. 27 briefing that the Canadian government expects to notify Congress of its plan by late November.

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The move will involve juggling the F-35 schedule but the U.S. Air Force has agreed to that, Bogdan said in a leaked briefing document.

Canada would take its first four aircraft in the time period known as LRIP 9 (low initial production rate), the general added. LRIP 9 covers delivery of aircraft in 2017.

The Conservative government has continued to maintain that no decision on the replacement of the country’s CF-18 fighter jets has been made.

But opposition MPs say the Conservatives are looking to delay the announcement of the controversial F-35 purchase until after the 2015 election so it wouldn’t become an issue.