OTTAWA– The Harper Conservatives must stop dragging their feet and finally release the documents pertaining to the true cost of the F-35s, said Liberal Defence critic John McKay today.
“This government has done nothing but stonewall and withhold vital information on what is a very significant investment in our military,” said Mr. McKay. “Canadians have a right to know how the government is spending their money, and the Conservatives should show them the respect they deserve and immediately make public all documents relating to the cost of the F-35s.”
Prior to the May election, the Speaker of the House of Commons found the Conservative government in contempt for failing to provide Canadians with the true cost of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. At the 11th hour, the government dumped hundreds of pages of unilingual documentation on Parliament, knowing full well that documentation is only admissible if it is in both official languages. As such, these documents had to be returned to the Minister of Defence for translation, but this process was stalled when the writ dropped. When they returned, Parliament again ordered the production of these same documents.
“We have been waiting on this government to come clean on the F-35s for nearly a year, yet they are continuing to ignore the will of Canadians and Parliament by withholding these documents,” said Mr. McKay. “Unlike what this government would have Canadians believe, there is nothing holy or decent about hiding the real cost of the F-35s.”
