Mr. Speaker, the Auditor General's investigation into the Liberals' purchase of the F-35 fighter jets is deeply concerning. Costs have ballooned by more than 50%, and delivery is behind schedule, but it gets worse: The facilities to house the jets will not be completed until 2031. That is three years too late, and taxpayers will be left spending even more money on temporary hangars.
The investigation also confirmed that we do not have enough pilots. How does the Liberal government expect the planes to fly without pilots? In fact, the Liberals have flip-flopped. First, they opposed the F-35 program, then they supported it, then they sent it to review, and so on.
After the lost Liberal decade, Canadians are feeling anxious in an increasingly dangerous world. Out-of-control costs, repeated construction delays and lack of staff threatened to delay the replacement of the fighter jets. Now the Liberals want billions of dollars to waste.
The government promised change, but it is more of the same. Under the Liberals, Canadians have never paid so much for getting so little in return.