(Photo : ROBERT ATANASOVSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
The Canadian government defended its high-cost weapons initiative by saying that it will benefit the country's security and economy in the long run.
The Canadian government revealed on Monday that it would be spending $14.2 billion to purchase 88 F-35 fighter aircraft.
According to a press release from the Canadian government, the Royal Canadian Air Force will start using the first US-made plane in 2026, and the whole fleet will be up and running by 2033 or 2034.
CNN reports that the deal makes Canada the last of the F-35 program's initial eight partners to buy the fifth-generation fighter, one of the world's finest.
In a statement, Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand said that Canada wants "a military that is flexible, agile, and capable of responding" to "a range of unexpected events" in today's complicated world.
Anand said the Canada F-34 Fighter Jets will be critical for safeguarding Canadians, boosting "Arctic security and national sovereignty," and helping Canada to fulfill its NATO, NORAD, and other duties long into the future" as the international order is threatened across the globe.
The North American Aerospace Defense Organization, or NORAD, is a combined US-Canadian command responsible for the continent's air and missile defense.
Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of Canada F-34 Fighter Jets, has experienced an increase in demand over the last year, particularly after Russia invaded Ukraine.
In 2022, the F-35 was ordered by Germany, Switzerland, and Finland, while proposals to purchase it was made by NATO members Greece and the Czech Republic.
F-35s are currently or will soon be in the fleets of the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Belgium, Israel, and Singapore.
The planes are available in three different variants: the regular F-35A, the short-take-off, and vertical landing F-35B, and the F-35C, which is designed to be flown from aircraft carriers.
How Did It Cost Canada?
Canada will acquire the F-35A version to retire its outdated CF-18 aircraft.
Planes alone are just a portion of the projected $14.2bn ($19bn Canadian) price tag for the Canada weapons project; infrastructure building, armaments, and other costs are also included.
However, some concerns and issues have been raised in Canada over the Canada weapons program's projected $52bn ($70bn Canadian) cost throughout its whole life cycle.
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By late December, the No Fighter Jets Coalition had issued a statement saying that it was "irresponsible" and unfair for the Trudeau administration to spend public money on Canada F-34 Fighter Jets when "Canadians struggle to make ends meet" due to the onset of winter.
The group said the Canadian government should instead put money into things like low-cost "housing, healthcare, education, economic aid, and climate action." The proposed purchase of the F-35 fighter jet by Canada is unethical and should be scrapped, it added.
Trudeau Contradicting Earlier Pronouncement
In his candidacy for prime minister in 2015, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declared that Canada would never buy the F-35.
Trudeau maintained his stance that the Canadian military had no demand for the F-35 and remarked in June 2016 that the Conservatives had "absolutely "missed the boat" when it came to providing Canadians and their armed services the weaponry they required in 10 years.
"They clung to an aircraft (the F-35) that does not work and is far from working," Trudeau said, as per a report from Ottawa Citizen.
In contrast, Anand said on Monday that the Canada F-34 Fighter Jets deal will improve Canada's ability to fulfill domestic military obligations and coordinate with NORAD and NATO partners.
The Canadian defense minister noted that the Canadian weapons initiatives will sharpen Canada's military edge to keep its citizens safe and provide "economic opportunities" for our nation."
She also noted that for 25 years, the cost of maintaining and running the planes is expected to bring around 3,300 employment and $317m ($425m Canadian) to Canada's yearly gross domestic product, per Al Jazeera.
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