As Prime Minister Mark Carney deepens defence ties with the European Union, Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan says Ottawa should resume its planned purchase of American F-35 fighter jets and work together with Washington on missile defence.
Carignan made the comments in a June 23 interview with the Toronto Star, where she expressed support for Canada’s continued purchasing of F-35s, which was put under review by Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this year.
Canada originally committed to buying 88 of the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin fighter jets in 2022, with National Defence estimating the total cost at $19 billion at the time of the formal agreement in January 2023. However, a report from Auditor General Karen Hogan earlier this month determined the cost of the deal had increased from $19 billion to $27.7 billion due to rising inflation, fluctuations in exchange rates, and heightened global demand for munitions. An additional $5.5 billion was also said to be needed in order to upgrade infrastructure and purchase advanced weapons….