What Could Go Wrong?

June 8 2010 // News

 

 

Reading that the current administration in Ottawa has decided to jump into what's called a "sole-sourced" (think no-bid) purchase of 65 high-priced fighter jets, I can't help but get a queasy feeling. One really has to wonder why the contract worth up to $9-billion is being awarded without competition.

 

Stephen Harper's rationale that "the only other aircraft that could eventually meet the needs of the Canadian Forces would be built in China or Russia, and that such a purchase wouldn’t fly in Canada, is specious at best and a flat out lie, with a little demagoguery tossed in for good measure, at worst. Harper is suddenly against competition and against the possibility of saving some of those hard earned tax dollars he's always claiming to be spending so judiciously? And I missed the note that said China and Russia are the enemy once more. I thought they were valued trading partners in a global economy.

It's not only the Russians ands Chinese that have been cut out of the bidding. Boeing doesn't get a shot at maybe providing a better product or beating Lockheed-Martin's price either. Harper's Defense Minister, Peter Mackay ducked questions on the matter answering NDP critics with only, "Stay tuned!”

We will.