OTTAWA – Stephen Harper has deceived Canadians about the spiraling purchase price of his $30-billion untendered F-35 stealth fighters, leaving the credibility of the Conservative election platform in tatters, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said today.
“Stephen Harper is deliberately misleading Canadians about the skyrocketing costs of his untendered stealth fighters,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “He’s pretending to have a deal that would shelter Canada from the cost overruns plaguing the F-35s, but that’s totally false – it doesn’t exist.”
A new report last week from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the total acquisition cost of the F-35 has nearly doubled from $81 million to $156 million (USD) per plane – leading Senator John McCain to call the cost overruns “an absolute disgrace.” The Harper government still clings to their original claim that the F-35s will only cost $75 million (CAD) each.
In response to a direct question about this report, Stephen Harper said on Friday: “The contract we signed shelters us from any increase in those kinds of costs, so we’re very confident of our cost estimates.”
“Stephen Harper knows very well that Canada has not yet signed a contract to buy the F-35s, so we’re not protected from cost overruns,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “Yet he’s intentionally deceiving Canadians by pretending that we’re protected, even while other countries aren’t, including the U.S. itself.”
U.S. law prohibits the sale of military equipment to foreign countries at a lower price than the U.S. government pays, yet a $10-billion gap remains between Stephen Harper’s F-35 cost estimates and the Pentagon’s latest price tag.
“Liberals have laid out a credible two-year plan that rejects out-of-touch long-term spending commitments like $6 billion in annual corporate giveaways, $13-billion mega-prisons, and $30-billion stealth fighters,” said Mr. Ignatieff. “Making better choices means we can afford to provide families with the stability offered by the Liberal Family Pack – and secure the future of health care.
“Stephen Harper’s numbers just don’t add up – and if he isn’t replaced, Canadians will be forced to make up the $11-billion hole in his platform with cuts to the programs their families depend on,” concluded Mr. Ignatieff.
