Jet purchase gets push from Clement
Last Updated: Tuesday, September 21, 2010 | 11:26 PM ET
CBC News
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Industry Minister Tony Clement insisted on Tuesday that the government's plan to spend $9 billion on 65 fighter jets would ensure that Canadian companies aren't ignored from future defence contracts relating to the purchase.
During an interview Tuesday on Power & Politics with Evan Solomon, Clement spoke about a 2006 memorandum of understanding signed by Ottawa and a number of other countries regarding the U.S-led Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and the purchase of a new generation of fighter jets.
Clement said that according to the memo, the aerospace industries of countries ordering the planes get a preferred line on bidding for some of the contracting work to build components of the jet.
He referred to one section of the memo that states participants in the JSF program require the main contractor of the jets to select subcontractors from participating nations, "on a competitive, best value basis to the maximum practical extent."
But a 2008 news release issued by then industry minister Jim Prentice appeared to suggest that Canada did not have to purchase the planes to obtain preferential treatment for its aerospace companies.
It stated that Canada's participation in the program still "makes it eligible to benefit from the preferential condition and advantages reserved for JSF partners."
The news release added that "this participation does not commit it to purchase the aircraft."
Asked about the 2008 release, and the fact that it seemed to contradict Clement's interpretation, Clement said the release made no sense to him and that he would talk to Prentice about it at the first opportunity.
Clement insisted however that the memo states that "in order to have preferential access to the bidding process, you have to be a participating country."
The government has defended its planned purchase of 65 F-35 Lightning II jets from U.S. aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, saying Canada needs to replace its aging fleet of CF-18 jets with the best and newest technology available.
Opposition MPs have demanded to know why the government would settle on the Lockheed Martin contract without allowing other companies to bid on the deal.
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