Mr. Speaker, the F-35 fiasco may finally be coming to an end. The program that started with poor decisions, made behind closed doors, with phony numbers, is dying, through leaks and cabinet ministers settling scores.
The New Democrats first brought up questions about the F-35. More than two and a half years ago, the member for St. John's East asked the Minister of National Defence about the replacement of the CF-18. The minister had settled on the F-35, only to reverse himself minutes later, saying that there would be an open competition. This was the start of a never-ending series of debacles.
I would also like to thank those who had the courage to blow the whistle on the Conservatives' many slip-ups on this file, including the former assistant deputy minister for materiel, Alan Williams, who was determined to inform Canadians about what was going on. He showed that a dedicated public servant can have a tremendous impact by speaking out against Conservative mismanagement.
Let us hope that we have finally closed the book on the F-35 fiasco.