Mr. Speaker, all the rules have been respected with respect to the procurement of the F-35. There was a long process to establish the only fifth-generation fighter to ensure that when the CF-18s, which were designed in the 1970s and acquired in the early 1980s, reached the end of their lifespan at around 2020, we would have a fleet of airplanes for our air force to ensure that we can protect Canadian sovereignty, to ensure that we can follow through on the duty to protect as the men and women of the Royal Canadian Air Force did in Libya where they performed admirably for Canada and admirably for NATO.
In the House of Commons on April 30th, 2012. See this statement in context.