Industry Minister Mélanie Joly says the Liberal government believes Canada “didn’t get enough” industrial benefits out of its contract for American-made F-35 stealth fighter jets.
Talking to reporters on Parliament Hill today, Joly said the government needs “more jobs created out of the F-35 contract.”
Her comments come as the Swedish firm Saab considers whether to set up shop in Canada to build its Gripen fighter jets in response to a spike in demand from Ukraine.
Joly says the Swedish defence company is pitching production that could create 10,000 jobs in Canada — but Ottawa will have to kick the tires on the offer.
The federal government has committed to buying the first 16 F-35A jets made by Lockheed Martin out of a planned purchase of 88 to replace Canada’s aging fleet of CF‑18 Hornets.
But the Liberal government launched a review of the rest of the procurement of 88 F-35s in the spring, after U.S. President Donald Trump initiated a trade war with Canada.
