Feds tout fighter jet program
Posted Nov 22, 2010 04:13:22 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The Conservative government’s $9-billion fighter jet purchase is having a positive impact on the Canadian economy.
That’s the message Minister of State for Science and Technology Gary Goodyear and fellow local MP Peter Braid (Kitchener-Waterloo) brought to Virtek Vision Monday afternoon.
Virtek Vision is one of “at least a dozen” local companies that are benefiting from the controversial program, according to Goodyear. He cites federal investments of $168-million in the program but a $350-million dollar return in contracts for more than 60 Canadian companies, research laboratories and universities.
“Centra, Virtek, Nikon, Open Text, there are probably a dozen or more and a couple of hundred jobs,” boasts Goodyear in describing the impact of the jet fighter program on the economy of Waterloo Region.
Goodyear and Braid toured Virtek’s facilities on Bridge Street, where laser templating technology is being developed for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
The government’s multi-billion dollar commitment to the program has drawn fire from Opposition critics who say the timing is poor and the government failed to seek competitive bids for the contract.
Goodyear says nothing could be further from the truth.
“There was a competition. It was well placed out and that’s where the first $10-million of Canadian contribution went,” Goodyear states.
He also says the argument of bad timing fails to hold up because while the economy may still be in recovery now, the government is expecting delivery of the first fighter jet in 2016-2017, right around the time it expects to be running a balanced budget.
