Gravelbourg & District Tribune

The Liberals want us to go into the killing business.

 

As you all remember, Canada’s former Defence Minister, Anita Anand, announced that the Canadian government would buy 88 F-35 warplanes. Cost of the first 16 is $7 billion or $2.285 billion each. (The SaskParty could build another road around Regina for that kind of cash.)

 

Our current Prime Minister agrees with Donald Trump and former Anita Anand that Canada needs to beef up the military and he wants the planes. Even after the head of NORAD suggested advanced aircraft like the F-35s are not critical to continental defence. Our current Defence Minister, David McGuinty, also wants the planes.

 

Does Carney have investments in Lockheed Martin? Does he have investments with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems who are partners with Lockheed Martin?

 

According to Murray Lumley of Toronto (a member of FrontLine Defense) “The F-35 is an offensive weapon not defensive, designed to evade a foreign country’s radar and carry a nuclear bomb into that country to destroy infrastructure and people there, just like NATO has done (not nuclear but conventional bombs) in the former Yugoslavia, Libya, Iraq and Syria. Unless we think that defence means destroying other countries.”

 

Do the math. If the first 16 cost $2.285 billion each then 88 would be $201 billion and not the $77 billion as stated by the government? This isn’t even considering the repair and maintenance cost. According to retired Colonel Paul Maillet involved in aircraft procurement during his career; “The life cycle costs will be astronomical, easily exceeding $40 billion; and outstanding technical deficiencies will plague the aircraft, and defence budget, for decades.”