WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington is signalling growing impatience with Ottawa’s delays on its F-35 purchase and broader defence reset. U.S. defence officials applauded Canada’s 2022 selection of Lockheed Martin’s stealth fighter, and the plan to buy 88 of the U.S.-made jets, but political debate and shifting priorities have left only 30 under contract so far.
Pressure Mounts for Defence Alignment
For years, Washington has been pushing Canada to ramp up defence spending, and there has been progress: Prime Minister Mark Carney has touted Ottawa’s plan to meet the 2 per cent of GDP target this past year. Now, the U.S. is signalling it wants Canada to stay closely aligned on defence.
That impatience is not just about the F-35. It’s about what comes next. But how Canada’s enhanced defence budget will be spent remains an open question amid Carney’s push to make Canada less dependent upon the U.S.
Ambassador’s Remarks Highlight Stakes
“The F-35 is not an American plane,” Ambassador Pete Hoekstra said at a recent summit in Toronto. “The F-35 is what? It is an international consortium building the most advanced fighter jet in the world.”
Adding pressure for defence cooperation, he hinted that the U.S. could work well with Canada on the sixth-generation fighters. “You may get an invitation to join the U.S. as part of a consortium to do the sixth gen on fighter planes,” he said. “Your choice. You wanna partner with the U.S. or not? Not our decision.”
Review Continues Amid Options
Carney’s jet review, looking at the F-35 vs. Saab’s Gripen, was meant to be completed last summer, but it continues, according to Defence Minister David McGuinty. “We are taking the necessary time to study very, very closely the question of the fighter fleet,” he said recently.
McGuinty also said Canada is looking into whether Canada should take part in developing a sixth-generation fighter. If they had a vote, defence analysts and military leaders would largely pick the F-35. It has consistently outperformed competitors and offers the interoperability Canada needs for NORAD and NATO.
Analysts Weigh In
“It really is the sort of easy button… for moving the Air Force forward,” said Richard Shimooka, senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, noting previous reviews have identified it as the best option. He added that Canada’s industrial benefits from the F-35 program are tied to the number of aircraft purchased, meaning a smaller order would likely reduce long-term work and sustainment opportunities.
Shimooka expects Carney to stick with the F-35 and to procure 88 or more of them, but he doesn’t rule out the possibility of a mixed fleet. Christopher Coates, director of foreign policy, national defence, and national security at Macdonald-Laurier Institute, also said he favours the F-35 and hopes Canada buys a lot more of them.
