Cancelling jets a job-killer: Harper

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2010 (5474 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper brought his pitch for Canada’s new fighter jet to Winnipeg on Thursday, saying the F-35 Lightning is not only the best plane for Canada’s air force but one that will create jobs.

Harper also continued to brush aside criticism that the $9-billion price tag for the jets is too rich and Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff’s suggestion that Ottawa should have had a competitive bid process to replace Canada’s aging F-18s.

“The air force, the air experts, have been clear on this: This is the aircraft we need,” he said at Winnipeg’s Bristol Aerospace plant Thursday. Bristol makes wing and tail components for the jet.

“To do what Mr. Ignatieff and his allies suggest now is to put in jeopardy every single job in this room and every single job that depends on it in the Canadian aerospace industry with no possible upside whatsoever for the Canadian air force.”

Harper also said the process of buying the F-35 stealth jet is the same one the previous Liberal government agreed to, and that it makes no sense now to turn back the clock.

“Their position here is playing politics with the lives of our men and women in uniform and the jobs of the people in this room,” he told Bristol workers and management.

The F-35 purchase has been in the works since 1997 with Canada being one of eight countries involved.

Ottawa says the purchase has led to $350 million in contracts for Canadian companies. In Winnipeg, Bristol is expanding its plant and plans to hire about 100 more people over time to manufacture the horizontal stabilizers for the new aircraft.

Harper was in the city with Industry Minister Tony Clement to turn sod on the new building, the advanced composites manufacturing centre. It was built with help from a $43.4-million repayable federal loan. Bristol’s contract on the F-35 is worth about $11 million.

Bristol says with the work on the F-35, the company is in a better position to attract business building civilian aircraft.

Harper said over the past decade government has already spent $150 million on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program. They’ll replace the F-18s which will end their operational service in 2017-20.

“The prototypes are in the air, so you have to ask yourselves, why would we now consider buying anything else? Today there is nothing else like the F-35 Lightning. It’s once-and-only serious competitor is now on static display in a Florida museum.”

Harper said to derail the F-35 program would undermine everything that’s been done since 1997, including undermining Canada’s military.

He said the newest CF-18 will be more than 30 years old when Canada takes delivery of the first F-35s.

“We still have the responsibility to counter challenges to our own airspace unless, of course, we prepared to let somebody else do it for us, and of course this government is not prepared to let anyone other than Canada defend Canadian sovereignty.”

Harper also met with Conservative Party members at a rally Thursday night at Canad Inns Polo Park.

Harper spoke for almost half an hour extolling his minority government’s achievements while facing down the “opposition coalition” of the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Québécois.

Harper is said to be eyeing a spring election, but told the crowd of about 900 he has no interest in taking Canadians to the polls.

Harper does have to call a byelection for Winnipeg North by the end of the month. Julie Javier, the Conservative candidate for the riding, introduced Harper before he took the podium Thursday night.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca