Does that sound familiar, Mr. Speaker?
The parallels between the Chinook process and the stealth fighters are uncanny. In both cases, the Conservatives have not accounted for full life cycle costs. In both cases, they did not identify the operational requirements before announcing the purchase. They did not take the procurement to tender. The maintenance contracts will not be signed until after we have lost all bargaining power.
Here is the $16 billion question. Why will the Conservatives not start an open and transparent fighter jet acquisition immediately?