Tories accused of breaking promise for open bidding on fighter jets

[CHIMO]

The opposition accused the Harper government on Friday of turning its back on a past promise to hold a competition on the $16-billion plan to buy new fighter jets.

The NDP and the Liberal Party said Ottawa is wasting tax dollars by moving ahead with an untendered purchase of 65 Lockheed Martin F-35 aircrafts, thereby missing an opportunity to obtain maximum economic benefits in Canada.

“It looks as though the government's sole-sourced buy of new fighter jets is going to cost at least $16-billion. That is $16-billion to create jobs outside this country,” Liberal MP Wayne Easter said during Question Period. “When Canadians are being asked to contain their spending, how can the government justify spending $16-billion without any competition and without any regional development?”

In answer to opposition attacks, Conservative MP Laurie Hawn limited himself to saying that the government will comply with its legal obligations as it acquires the “next generation” of fighter jets.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tories-accused-of-breaking-promise-for-open-bidding-on-fighter-jets/article1601021/

The more things change... Mulroney, Jets, Manitoba, Quebec.

Just change a few names and a few decades, and you have the same thing. But we already had a reform party. So what will we have now?