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OTTAWA — Canada’s long-running effort to buy new fighter jets is facing another delay.

The federal government announced Tuesday it is giving jet makers another three months to submit their proposals for replacing Canada’s aging CF-18s. Companies were to have submitted their bids at the end of March but will now have until June.

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The move is to ensure the government receives high-quality bids for the estimated $19-billion contract, federal Procurement Minister Anita Anand said in a statement. Canada is planning to buy 88 new fighters to replace the CF-18s, which are now nearly 40 years old.

“The government set out an aggressive timeline to implement this very complex, high-value procurement,” Anand said.

“While we understand the importance of this procurement for our women and men in uniform, our focus is on moving the process forward as quickly as we can, while ensuring that all bidders have the time they need to put forward their best proposal.”