An F-35 Lightning II test aircraft with the Canadian flag, along with those of other industrial participants, painted on it. Photo by Julianne Showalter/US Air Force/Wikimedia Commons.

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s call for a review of the deal to purchase F-35 fighter jets has thrust the aircraft back into the public debate. Announced in January 2023, the decision to purchase 88 F-35 planes was costed at $19 billion; Canada is so far only committed to purchasing 16 planes. Thanks to statements by Donald Trump about annexing and subjugating Canada, public opinion in Canada about the United States has declined significantly, and over 30,000 Canadians have signed a petition to cancel the F-35 deal. Given this public mood, and Carney’s recent recognition that “the old relationship… with the United States… is over,” the government should not just cancel the F-35 purchases but fundamentally rethink its role in the US military enterprise. As Yves Engler argued recently in Canadian Dimension, it “makes little sense to remain integrated with the military of a hostile country whose president wants to annex Canada.” But will it happen?

We’ve been here before. Ten years ago, during his election campaign, Justin Trudeau vowed to scrap the unpopular F-35 program and launch an open competition. Months after he became prime minister, the government committed $45 million in 2016 to stay in the deal. This was on........

© Canadian Dimension