Buying a new fighter plane that will secure Canadian airspace for the next 40 years is not like buying a new printer for every office in a federal building. Yes, there is a technical format that all government agencies are supposed to perform in any type of procurement; request for proposals and so on. If the DND started looking for their next fighter jet "by the book" what would that have resulted in? Bids from Russian and Chinese firms that we would never buy from in the first place? Bids from European suppliers that would greatly lengthen the supply and support chain? Realistically, what other options are there besides the F-35? We need to have a 5th generation airplane, and we need to replace our aging fleet. They will cost what they cost, we have already invested in their development, and we should provide our pilots with the best available equipment that is easily integrated with our neighbors to the south.
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