Mr. Speaker, with just a little over four months to go before Canadian troops return to combat, Chinooks have suddenly become a priority. Air staff have just announced a plan to nix the competitive bidding process and are going to sole source the procurement of Chinook helicopters.
The government is buying an aircraft that took its first flight in 1961, while the army abandoned the technology 15 years ago, yet other more modern and effective options exist.
Why is the Liberal government planning to waste hundreds of millions of tax dollars without considering the possibility of open and fair competition?