All options to replace Canada’s aging CF-18s are on the table.

No contract for the F-35 fighter jet has been signed, no orders have been placed and even if Canada signs anything, it won’t be putting any money down for several years.

Those are the points Associate Minister of Defence Julian Fantino hit home at the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries breakfast in Ottawa Friday morning.

“Canada’s current plan means that we would not begin receiving the new aircraft until later this decade.” Fantino said. “Since our aircraft will be acquired over several years, the Canadian Forces is always adjusting its plans for a smooth transition for gradually retiring the legacy CF-18 fleet in the early 2020s.”

Fantino also acknowledged that the program is under stress. However, Canada has a contingency built into its budget and in terms of operational capability, he said.

“If the program is further delayed or if full-scale production is reached later, the flexibility that we have with our existing CF-18 fleet and the terms of our participation allows us the ability to delay our orders of F-35s,” he said. “In short, all options are on the table and we will manage the replacement of the CF-18 in a responsible fashion.”

Fantino’s appearance Friday comes only days after he told a House committee that Canada has not ruled out the possibility of pulling out of the F-35 program. On Thursday the National Post reported that the auditor general’s report on the procurement process, due out April 3, will be scathing in its assessment of how the process operated.

After his speech, Fantino told reporters “I’ve tried to be as honest and forthright as I could with the information available to me. We’re going to have to wait and see how this works out. I’m confident that we’ll manage, but I can’t promise.”

“We’re discussing, we’re negotiating, we’re talking,” he said. “I’m not going to speculate. I’m going to tell you again we have a $9-billion envelope. Numbers are off the table right now other than, the only one I can tell you for certain is the $9 billion.”

As he left via an elevator, Fantino was pursued by reporters.

“Nine billion dollars,” he said again.





Officials from the department of national defence also told the House committee Tuesday that a program management group has been operating for years and has been monitoring alternative options for the F-35 but has so far seen no reason to change the plan.

That plan has been a problem for the opposition.

All week, both New Democrat and Liberal MPs again demanded the government back out of its commitment to the F-35 and re-tender the procurement. With the litany of developmental issues that have been reported, along with U.S. budget cuts and purchase delays, the opposition has been collectively asking for the government’s ‘plan B’. After his comments this week, the opposition seized on Fantino’s statements in committee as vindication of their continued requests.

“Time is passing, but doubts remain about the F-35 jets. The Conservatives’ crusade for the F-35s has hit the wall. We have been warning them for months, and now they are panicking and trying to pick up the pieces,” NDP MP Christine Moore said during question period on Wednesday.

Fantino hit back at his critics Friday morning.

“I’m sure you’re all loyal watchers of question period, my favourite…” Fantino began, but stopped there, as if he couldn’t finish the thought. “I like to think that our critics in Ottawa support our efforts and the jobs for workers and innovation we are creating — but, as you know, their words and actions tell another story.”

Then, Fantino again restated Canada’s commitment to the F-35 fighter jet.

“Eleven countries have already indicated their plans to acquire the F-35 as their fighter aircraft for the future,” he said. “The F-35 is envisaged as Canada’s only fighter aircraft up to the middle of the 21st century.”