During the 2011 federal election campaign, as Peter McKay and Julian Fantino consistently vehemently argued that Canada needed to and would spend a gazilion dollars on unproven F-35 fighter jets, ominous clouds were falling over the project in the USA. McKay and Fantino absurdly argued the project was on-time and on-budget even as US Congressional overseers were raising doubts about its viability. Later, as other US allies withdrew or scaled back their commitment to the venture, Fantino continued to insist all was well and the Canada's commitment was rock-solid.
It was anticipated surprise, yesterday, that Fantino has begun to back away from the F-35 stating that no order has been placed and no decision taken on whether to purchase. With the government preparing to slash public services and social benefits, the "we support out Armed Forces" slogan loses traction in the face of spending billions of dollars - the actual cost is impossible to calculate as the project is delayed by technical problems and allies cancel orders - on a jet fighter that may never see service or may be obsolete before it goes into service and would be of little use to the Canadian Forces in any conceivable mission.
The timing was to be expected. With the election rhetoric fading from memory and the next campaign 3 years away, when better to re-write the Conservative talking points. McKay was notably close-lipped yesterday, having sent Fantino out with the new message. In a few weeks or months, when Canada withdraws from the partnership acquiring F-35s, McKay and the Prime Minister, hope Canadians will be accustomed to the new messaging and have forgotten just how essential they claimed these fighters to be in the midst of their re-election campaign.
Some of us will be able to smile smugly and say "we told you so".
