[Baron von Kriterium]

With respect to the fighter replacement/purchase, I offer the following comments, not based on any facts, but based on the fun I have speculating on what happens within the PMO's office.

It appears that the Liberals have enlarged the corner in which their leader painted them into:

To justify the no F35s, they invented the "Capability Gap";

To fill the "Capability Gap", they sole sourced F18 SH (but only 18);

To justify the sole source, they kicked the "open and fair" competition five years down the road; and

To justify the delay they now state they need more new fighters!

But then the sticker shock will hit in about a year - followed by "Presto!" GENERAL ELECTION! and......................

Sorry CAF/RCAF no money in the kitty.

To the lay person, buying these capital items shouldn't be too onerous; however, bear in mind that we haven't seen a successful combat boot replacement in years. Several have been trialled and all have been disasters. The Army is at the point of going back to the Mk II Black Cadillacs, but they will, of course, be known as the Mk III Black Cadillacs.
Feck it; I just buy my own boots. So do many others.

Now that rant just reminds me that some recruits in their basic training don't even have all of their kit. Some are in coveralls and staff members have been known to loan them their extra boots. It is quite pathetic, actually.

All that to say that if we can't even give our soldiers the bare minimum, purchasing frigates and jet fighters is a large hurdle for the mandarins in Ottawa.