Canadians want the government to purchase the best fighter jets for the nation’s air force instead of prioritizing the option that generates the highest number of jobs, a new study suggests.
The Liberal government announced in 2023 its decision to procure 88 F-35 jets from Lockheed Martin to update Canada’s aging CF-18 Hornet fleet. But Prime Minister Mark Carney asked for a review of the deal in March 2025 while the trade dispute between Canada and the United States was in its beginning stages.
Ottawa has also been in talks with Swedish company Saab about its Gripen-E fighter jets.
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said last fall that the European defence company has dangled the possibility of 10,000 aerospace manufacturing jobs coming to Canada if the government puts in an order for a fleet of its Gripen E fighter jets. The company has promised the jets will be built, maintained, and upgraded within Canada….