Ottawa must be able to do 2 things at once
NDP press conference underlines need to handle both defence and social policies without conflating them
Nunavut MP and NDP defence critic Lori Idlout speaks at a news conference Wednesday beside interim party Leader Don Davies. They are calling on the federal government to cancel the purchase of American fighter jets that they say will put Canadian sovereignty at risk. (Photo by Jorge Antunes)
The federal government must be able to walk and chew bubble gum at the same time — to do two things at once. It must meet national defence needs and ensure adequate housing in the Arctic.
That’s why it’s risky for the NDP to frame the purchase of new military airplanes as a false choice between buying F-35 fighter jets and addressing the housing, food and health crises in the North.
Nunavut MP Lori Idlout, the NDP’s defence critic, and interim party Leader Don Davies called on the Liberal government to cancel plans to buy the American-made aircraft Wednesday during a Parliament Hill press conference.
Canada should pick Swedish company Saab’s Gripen fighters because they’re cheaper, would create manufacturing jobs in Canada, and wouldn’t come with messy ties to the United States, Idlout and Davies said.
Buying American planes would leave Canada at the mercy of U.S. President Donald Trump’s whims, Davies warned.
As well, he said, Trump could withhold spare parts or software upgrades for the jets if Canada doesn’t “knuckle under” to future American policy demands.
Canada has already committed to buying 16 Lockheed Martin F-35 jets, with an option to buy 72 more.
But Davies didn’t mention that the first of Canada’s F-35s isn’t scheduled to be delivered until 2028 — by which time the sun will be setting on Trump’s presidency.
Canada-U.S. relations are at a low point now. But hopefully, this too shall pass.
Calling the Saab jets the kind of “more cost-effective approaches” the government needs to take, Idlout said choosing them would create room in the federal budget for other things.
The less money Ottawa spends on jets, the more money it has for housing, to help people get food, or for health care in the North, Idlout said.
However, neither Idlout nor Davies actually mentioned how much it would cost to buy either the F-35 or the Gripen aircraft.
Leave it to the NDP to lecture the government about buying one thing instead of another without actually mentioning the cost of either.
The Liberal government is now cutting 40,000 federal public service jobs. But the NDP doesn’t see that as a cost-effective approach that could free up money for housing, food or health care.
Cutting those jobs now “is the wrong way to go,” Davies said.
It might be true that buying the Saab jets will be less expensive than the F-35s, especially once the costs of maintaining them over 45 years is factored in. But the NDP’s argument would have been a lot stronger if Davies and Idlout had brought a dollar figure for both fighter jet programs to their press conference.
Some politicians, especially in the North, tend to conflate Arctic security, nation-building, housing and other infrastructure projects.
But it’s important to view defence spending on things like fighter jets as separate and distinct from social spending on housing and food.
In the past year, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government has aggressively pursued the building of big projects quickly to — in Carney’s words — “supercharge” the economy, especially in response to the Trump-induced transformation of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
The need to replace the Air Force’s fighter jets is, as Idlout said, “urgent” but the need will eventually be addressed. The need for the government to address housing, food and health care will be an ongoing need.
The federal government needs to address both of them at the same time and with the appropriate measures.
By the time the first order of F35 is complete in 2029 Trump will be simply a bad dream. Hopefully a new leader will come to thier senses and realize a great power can have a place of cooperation rather than hemispheric dominance. The nightmare of trump will end and he will be another lesson for future generations. Never elect a senile psychopath.
If anyone thinks the US will go back to its old self after Trump you are kidding yourself. We thought that when Biden won. The truth is that the MAGA movement will not go away once he’s gone. The people who enabled and put him in power are still there along with his base. That’s millions of people and they will not go away overnight. Canada cannot afford to assume things will return to “normal” and we cannot let ourselves fall into these assumptions that the relationship will always be great. The F-35 purchase is a huge gamble if we proceed with all of them. Yes, they are a superior aircraft, but what good will that be if the US admin at any given time feels like punishing or bullying us? Sweden is a much more trustworthy ally.
Has Nunatsiaq ask Jeremy what he thinks of all this, because he will be re-elected again, and we’ll need to know what are is thoughts on this issue.
Federal government cutting 40000 jobs? Wonder how many GN should cut cuz a lot of the workers are doing a whole lotta nothing sitting around drinking coffee on ther phones all day?
I’d think working on undoing the present order of things (whereby the country with the biggest army sets the rules) would be the route to pursue. Finding ways to engage with and effectively counter the bully mentality in the international affairs is the matter; Not easy done. Removing the rose colored glasses of higher morality and values while doing a minimum to stop injustices would be a giant step. Moreso when you consider the powers that be have a firm control the press and with that the stories headlining the news. We could do that, Or we could continue with rearranging the deck-chairs.
Hey Lori, how about you tell your constituents how you were looking at jumping ship to the Liberal party just before Christmas.
WHY on Earth did YOU people vote her in? Read between the lines….NDP IS NOT A REAL PARTY!!!! THEY HAVE and NEVER had any power to make changes!!!!!!
NDP became Canada’s official opposition party in 2011 under the leadership of Jack Layton by winning 103 ridings.
Jack Layton turned over in his grave when the NDP sold the party’s soul and spirit to the Liberals in 2022 and became the Jr. Liberal Party of Canada.
Now the NDP with only 7 seats in the House of Commons has no official federal party status and must rebuild the party from the ground up.
There was once I time when they helped shape Canada’s federal policies.
A price should’nt compare to canadian safety if the f-35 can fly cirles around the saab then your just buying them for show and polical reasons not much for defence and safety, ask a pilot his views
Imagine if the Avro Arrow project was not killed. There would be Arrow’s still defending this country and Canada would be a leader in Aviation
Corey watches too much superman movies, become a politician instead of propaganda of “your” views of everything.
The F35 needs 8,000 feet of runway to land and take off.
The Saab Gripen needs only 2,000 feet of runway to land and take off.
I see how our MP is using her extensive Arctic aviation experience to provide surprisingly good advice to our Defense officials.
Idlout is directly aware that the key Saab Gripen advantage over the F35 is being much more capable of dodging Inuit protesters camped out on a runway up here.