10 mai 2019 | Local, Aérospatial
OTTAWA, ON (May 6, 2019): In a hard-hitting new Macdonald-Laurier Institute report, MLI Senior Fellow Richard Shimooka takes a critical look at the government's approach to replacing Canada's aging fleet of CF-18 fighters. In the report, titled The Catastrophe: Assessing the Damage from Canada's Fighter Replacement Fiasco, he argues that Ottawa's performance on this file mirrors the SNC-Lavalin Scandal and the Mark Norman Affair.
“At their heart, these two incidents represent attempts by the Liberal government to circumvent established processes to meet their partisan interests,” Shimooka explains. “This description is just as apt for the fighter program.”
Canada is a participant in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program that has been developing the F-35s. These fighter jets were slotted to replace the RCAF's aging CF-18s, but after the program was mired in political scandal under the previous government, the Liberal government changed plans.
“During the 2015 election campaign, the Liberal Party promised not to buy the F-35 jets, but instead to use a competition to identify and subsequently purchase a lower-cost competitor... this decision proved to be impossible, unethical, and potentially illegal,” writes Shimooka.
From billions of dollars being wasted on a procurement process to fix a contrived capability gap to potentially threatening Canada's defence relationship with the US, the report finds that political interests have consistently been put above Canada's defence needs.
Shimooka argues that “the decisions made [regarding fighter jet replacement] were purely for reasons of political interest: not a single one could be claimed as being in the country's national interest.”
The “fiasco,” as Shimooka describes it, has caught the attention of both Canada's Office of the Auditor General (OAG) and senior US officials. According to documents never before seen by the public, the OAG had specifically cautioned the government against its chosen course of purchasing Australian Hornets as an interim measure in a draft report – and the final OAG report was heavily revised to obscure that recommendation.
Worse still, letters from US officials reveal that “resentment and distrust towards the government of Canada had grown, particularly within the US Air Force.” These letters, which again have not been made public until now, outline the significant strategic and economic benefits that have already been accrued from being part of the JSF Program. Yet they also contain an implicit (but clear) threat that Canada could be kicked out of the Program – if Ottawa continues with its current policy of trying to obtain guaranteed industrial benefits that, by their very nature, are not allowed under the JSF Program.
“There was a complete lack of logic of Canada's policy, which seemed to ignore basic facts about membership in the JSF program, including clear advantages in cost and capability that the F-35 provided.”
Despite these persistent, high-level issues with the government's chosen approach on the fighter jet replacement, the file has avoided serious public scrutiny. Shimooka finds that this happened in large part due to the successful gag orders levelled by the government.
“The government has also suppressed negative viewpoints within and outside the Department of National Defence, allegedly up to and including the deletion of portions of Memos to Cabinet that highlighted why certain decisions should not be taken.”
Moving forward on the file may prove to be difficult; defence procurement woes have plagued Canada since Confederation, and the issues with the fighter jet replacement are deeper than just purchasing the right aircraft. Worse still, Shimooka says that the brunt of the burden of consistently poor decision-making in Ottawa will be borne by the RCAF itself.
“While the negative consequences are clear for Canada as a whole," Shimooka explains, "no community has felt the impact more than the RCAF. As a result of this government's policies, its ability to conduct its most basic function, the defence of Canadian sovereignty and that of our allies, is diminishing rapidly.”
“It is a sad state of affairs.”
To read the commentary in full, click here.
https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/assessing-damage-canadas-fighter-replacement-fiasco-new-mli-report/
19 novembre 2023 | Local, Aérospatial, Terrestre, Sécurité
Today, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, officially opened the 15th annual Halifax International Security Forum.
5 avril 2018 | Local, Aérospatial
Five-year performance-based logistics contract to provide lifecycle support for Royal Canadian Air Force's fleet of CH-147F Chinooks The follow-on contract covers full system logistics, engineering support, supply chain, data analytics and training services OTTAWA, Ontario, April 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Boeing (NYSE: BA) and the Canadian government have agreed to an amendment to an existing performance-based logistics (PBL) contract. Under the $313 million fixed-price amendment, Boeing will continue to provide full system logistics, engineering support, supply chain, data analytics and training services to the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) fleet of 15 CH-147F Chinooks through 2023. Operating under a 20-year performance-based sustainment and training contract since 2013, the RCAF reviews its Chinook fleet support requirements every five years. "We look forward to continuing our support of the Royal Canadian Air Force and its effort to reduce maintenance costs through this long-term agreement," said Turbo Sjogren, vice president of International Government Services, Boeing Global Services. "PBLs have a proven track record of increasing system availability, decreasing maintenance cycles through the use of predictive maintenance tools, and reducing overall ownership costs." Unlike traditional contracts based on payment for specific parts and services, under a PBL agreement, the customer pays for a support package with an agreed-to level of readiness, which can lower costs while increasing mission-capability rates. Boeing supports PBL contracts with customers around the world and across multiple platforms, including the Chinook. Through this contract, Boeing will also continue to work with companies across Canada in support of the country's Industrial and Regional Benefits Policy, which supports long-term opportunities for the Canadian aerospace industry and workforce. Currently, Boeing works with nearly 560 Canadian suppliers, and the company employs approximately 2,000 highly skilled workers throughout the country. Boeing Global Services, headquartered in the Dallas area, was formed by integrating the services capabilities of the government, space and commercial sectors into a single, customer-focused business. Operating as a third business unit of Boeing, Global Services provides agile, cost-competitive services to commercial and government customers worldwide. Contact Ken Mercer Boeing Global Services Office: +1 312-544-2229 Mobile: +1 312-218-9377 Kenneth.b.mercer@boeing.com http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2018-04-03-Boeing-Secures-Services-Contract-for-Canadas-Chinooks
8 novembre 2018 | Local, Naval
OTTAWA, le 8 nov. 2018 /CNW/ - Le gouvernement du Canada s'assure plus que jamais que nos océans soient plus sains, plus propres et plus sécuritaires, gr'ce au Plan de protection des océans de 1,5 milliard de dollars. Les deux nouveaux navires hydrographiques et de sondage de chenal (NHSC) de la Garde côtière canadienne appuieront l'engagement continu à assurer la sécurité des marins au Canada alors qu'ils servent de plateforme au Programme de sondage de chenal du Service hydrographique du Canada. Le Programme permet de recueillir des renseignements sur les conditions de chenal et la profondeur des eaux dans la Voie maritime du Saint-Laurent pour assurer la sécurité de la navigation. L'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne, a accepté deux nouveaux NHSC dans la flotte de la Garde côtière canadienne, nommés le NGCC Jean Bourdon et le NGCC Helen Irene Battle. Conformément à la politique relative aux noms des navires de la Garde côtière, les navires hydrographies et de sondage de chenal sont nommés en l'honneur de scientifiques, d'hydrographes et d'explorateurs canadiens qui ont apporté des contributions importantes dans leurs domaines respectifs. En l'occurrence, Jean Bourdon a réalisé les premières études hydrographiques du fleuve Saint-Laurent, et Helen Irene Battle a été une scientifique primée et la première femme au Canada à obtenir un doctorat en biologie marine. Tous deux ont été d'importants citoyens qui ont contribué à façonner le Canada. Ces nouveaux navires ont été construits au Canada par Kanter Marine, à St. Thomas, en Ontario, dans le cadre de la Stratégie nationale de construction navale. Ces navires permettront d'améliorer la capacité du ministère des Pêches et des Océans, de même que celle d'autres ministères et organismes, de surveiller et d'observer les conditions marines et environnementales. De plus, les nouveaux NHSC pourront appuyer un certain nombre d'activités liées à la recherche et au sauvetage, aux aides à la navigation, à l'application de la loi, à l'intervention d'urgence, et aux catastrophes naturelles, de même qu'ils pourront appuyer les sciences relatives aux écosystèmes et aux pêches dans la région. Citation « Cet investissement de la Garde côtière canadienne dans le cadre de la Stratégie nationale de construction navale est une priorité du gouvernement fédéral. Les nouveaux navires hydrographiques et de sondage de chenal permettront au Service hydrographique du Canada de recueillir des données importantes, tout en contribuant à la sécurité des navigateurs en assurant la sûreté et l'efficacité de la navigation sur le Saint-Laurent. » L'honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, ministre des Pêches, des Océans et de la Garde côtière canadienne Faits en bref Les navires hydrographiques et de sondage de chenal, construits par Kanter Marine de St. Thomas, ON, sont des catamarans de 11,95 m de long. Leur vitesse maximale dépasse 20 nœuds, et ils comptent un équipage de quatre personnes. Le port d'attache des nouveaux navires hydrographiques et de sondage de chenal sera Mont-Joli (Québec), mais ils seront exploités sur le fleuve Saint-Laurent, de Montréal à l'Isle-aux-Coudres. La nouvelle classe de NHSC reflète les progrès et les nouvelles normes existant dans le domaine des levés hydrographiques, tels que les sonars multifaisceaux, les systèmes de positionnement très précis et les technologies modernes d'acquisition et de traitement des données. Ces nouveaux navires permettront d'effectuer les levés hydrographiques avec une meilleure précision tout en réduisant le temps de collecte des données. Ils pourront également aider à l'exécution d'un certain nombre d'activités en rapport avec la recherche et le sauvetage, les aides à la navigation, l'application de la loi, les interventions en cas d'urgence et les catastrophes naturelles, et à appuyer les sciences des écosystèmes et des pêches dans la région. Ces deux nouveaux navires remplaceront ceux qui sont exploités actuellement (le NGCC F.C.G. Smith et le NGCC GC 03) dans la Voie maritime du Saint-Laurent en moyenne depuis 37,5 années, et qui approchent de la fin de leur durée de vie. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/le-gouvernement-du-canada-acquiert-de-nouveaux-navires-pour-la-garde-cotiere-canadienne-700060832.html