Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr says it’s unlikely Ottawa will withdraw from its contract with the United States to purchase 16 F-35 fighter jets, because the aircraft are currently under production.
Fuhr told CBC’s Rosemary Barton Live that he doesn’t think Prime Minister Mark Carney will try to get out of the contract for the American-made jets despite comments from former Defence Minister Bill Blair in March that Canada was reconsidering the purchase amid trade tensions with the United States.
“I don’t think that’s the direction we’re heading,” Fuhr said during the Oct. 5 interview. “We have 16 aircraft in various stages of production at the manufacturer.”…