Thursday, July 22, 2010

Liberals All Over the Map on New F-35 Fighter Jets

Liberals can't make up their minds where they stand on anything.  The latest is the  government's procurement of 65 new F-35 fighter jets.  First spaceman Marc Garneau came out with feigned outrage railing against the deal saying the Libs would cancel it.  The same Lib spaceman Garneau  then said they would put it hold and review the it to make sure Canadians got the best deal.
"We just spent $2.6 billion to upgrade our current fleet of CF-18 aircraft and the replacement date that's forecast for these aircraft is not until 2017," said Garneau. "We need to make sure that Canadians get the best possible deal in the circumstances," he said.
Ujjal Dosanjh has  asked budget officer Kevin Page to examine whether or not we got a good deal.
Liberal defence critic Ujjal Dosanjh asked Parliament's budget officer Kevin Page Wednesday to investigate the F-35 deal — comparing it to other countries that have purchased the fifth-generation jet — and see whether Canada got good value for money.
Now retired general, current Liberal Senator, Romeo Dallaire figures it's a great deal and that we should buy more.
Dallaire called its main rival — Boeing's F-18E Super Hornet — "old" and hailed the government's $9-billion military investment as “essential.
“It's an excellent plane that's built in North America," Dallaire said Wednesday, noting he does take issue with the sole source government contract. "We need more than that but we can only afford 65."
In the meantime so much for the feigned outrage over the  so called "the lack of a competive process."   It was a joint decision with our allies that was properly deliberated for years.
Former Quebec Liberal MP Jacques Saada  agreed with the government and commented on the issue. 
While Liberals have been decrying the sole-source deal, former Quebec Liberal MP Jacques Saada, now president of Quebec's aerospace association, agreed with the government earlier this week when he told QMI Agency there was a "very serious" competitive bid process in the late-90s.
Those deliberations, he said, last nearly five years and in the end the nine Joint Strike Fighter partners — including Canada, United States, Britain and Australia — all decided to buy the F-35.
Ralphy Goodale should know better. He was a part of that government that started this process.  He  has said they would "revisit it" if they formed the next government.
The Liberals have pledge to “revisit” the jet deal if they form the next government, “and would insist on a competitive process,” Goodale said.
So where exactly DO the Liberals stand on this?  Mr. Iffy needs to get his Libs together and decide where they stand.
They have flip, flopped and have been all over the map on this as they are on many other issues. The deal was originally started by them when they were still in office. The current government continued the process.
It just proves they don't have a coherent stand on anything and are not ready to govern.  Voters are not going to vote for a party that can't make up their mind who they are and what they stand for.