In this Expert Series episode, we meet with Major General (Ret’d) Colin Keiver, Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Andre Deschamps, and General (Ret’d) Tom Lawson to discuss the potential cancellation or readjustment of the F-35 procurement deal, its impact on the Canadian defence sector, and its broader implications for the bilateral relationship.
Here are some key takeaways from the discussion:
• Concerns about the U.S. cutting Canada off from F-35 software overlook the reality that all F-35 software decisions are made collectively by partner nations, including Canada. Fears about supply chain disruptions ignore the fact that Canada plays a key role in F-35 production, meaning a software cut-off would be mutually damaging.
• At one point, Canada was spending 7.4% of GDP on defence. We can do it again. Today, we spend about 1.36% GDP on defence. What is and is not important to Canada from a national security perspective, and what are we willing to pay for?
• It’s increasingly likely that each of Canada’s political parties will be making defence and security a point of discussion in their campaigns. Canada needs to be strategic in not conflating security issues with trade issues.
• Canada needs to prove it is a trustworthy ally on issues of defence and security, increase GDP % on defence spending, and do our fair share for continental defence.
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