Mr. Speaker, I will be sharing my time with my friend, the member for Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière.
I am pleased to have this opportunity to express my unwavering support for Canada's purchase of the F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. I am proud to support this procurement because it is the right thing to do. I am also proud that our government is doing what is necessary to rebuild the armed forces. I am also proud that our government is providing Canada's men and women in uniform, the same men and women in uniform who put themselves in harm's way every single day on our behalf, with the best equipment they need to do their jobs.
We are buying the aircraft that we need to keep Canadians safe in their homes and to protect our interests abroad. I am proud that our government is standing shoulder to shoulder with our allies, participating in the joint strike fighter program.
I am also proud that our government is affording the Canadian aerospace industry with an unprecedented opportunity to take part in a global supply chain that will sustain and create good jobs for decades to come.
I am astonished as to why hon. members of the opposition are opposed to this decision. They insist on referring to this as a non-competitive process. However, the fact is the opposition knows that a rigorous and extensive competition was held in 1997, because those members were in government at the time.
A consortium of allies launched the effort to find an affordable, multi-role, next generation stealth aircraft. Canada was part of the intense and exhaustive competition to find the best company to build the joint strike fighter aircraft from the beginning. In fact, we participated without any obligation at the time to purchase the aircraft.
The reason we have made our commitment now, rather than waiting is extremely important, so let me be clear. By committing to make the purchase now, we allow our Canadian aerospace to have priority access to win lucrative contracts for the entire global supply chain, numbering some 5,000 aircraft. Estimates based on just the approximately 2,400 planes that our partner countries are buying show targeted opportunities of around $12 billion for Canadian companies. Imagine the figures if that is extrapolated to 5,000 aircraft.
The plan laid out in the Liberal motion would eliminate the priority access that our Canadian companies now enjoy at every moment when subcontracting for the fleet is under way. I cannot think of a more devastating policy decision than what the Liberals are proposing. Frankly, the motion is unintentionally a plan to throw thousands of Canadians out of work, but thankfully the government is protecting these jobs and allowing these industries to prosper. I hope the NDP will join us in voting against this motion as I am sure it too wants to support aerospace jobs in places like Winnipeg and throughout the country.
Let me return to the competition that we were a part of from the very beginning. This is important because it allowed us to buy next generation interoperable fighter planes at the lowest possible cost, providing the best possible value for Canadian taxpayers. Because there has already been a competition and because it was the right process to follow, a process consistent with my department's fundamental principles of fairness, openness and transparency, we see no benefit for Canadian taxpayers in having another one, particularly when we know for a fact that only the F-35 can meet our operational requirements. Another competition would be a waste of time and a waste of resources.
As the Minister of National Defence has explained on many occasions, his department has determined that the F-35 is the right aircraft at the right time for the best possible price. It is the only aircraft that will be interoperable with our allies fleets.
I bring up the subject of the Canadian Forces decision because it is important to bear in mind the requirements that drive the procurement process. The procurement process does not drive the requirements. The Department of National Defence is the expert in what a modern armed force needs. Under the Defence Production Act, I as Minister of Public Works and Government Services, have the authority to purchase defence supplies on its behalf. My department's role is to validate the identified requirement and ensure that the procurement is conducted according to the rules with the fairness and transparency Canadians demand, while maximizing value for money. We have done that.
We made a commitment two years ago in Canada first defence strategy to replace Canada's fleet of CF-18s. Make no mistake about it. The CF-18s are some 30 years old. They must be replaced and the Canadian Forces will begin retiring them by 2017. That is why we are working toward a 2016 delivery date for the first aircraft to be delivered to Canada. As we know, we cannot just drop by the hangar at the corner and buy a fleet of latest generation fighter jets. It takes careful planning and it takes a long lead time.
Again, I strongly disagree with the claims that this process has not been a competitive one to date. I cannot agree that we should start over at the cost of what would be billions to Canadian industry, especially when the Canadian Forces will have to begin taking CF-18s out of service in just seven years.
This decision to buy the right aircraft at the right time will allow national defence to start its planning for its introduction and use. Canada's military men and women have already lived through too long a period when their ability to do difficult dangerous jobs was impeded by procurement delays and no one wants to put them through that again.
The Canadian military was exhaustive in its analysis of its needs and it has made the right decision. It needs a fifth generation stealth fighter aircraft that is interoperable with our allies. It is my department's job to get it for the military and to get it at the best price to be had.
Yes, this represents a significant expenditure, but that is only one side of the picture. This is also an investment not only in Canadians' peace and security and Canada's reputation as a trusted ally, but in our defence and aerospace industry.
This investment promises the creation of well-paid, knowledge economy jobs right into the middle of the century, and it is far from an empty promise. The mere $168 million we have spent to date has already led to more than $850 million in contracts for Canadian companies, research labs and universities, the very drivers of a modern knowledge-based economy.
The expertise and innovation that this investment will spur will be spread throughout the country. For example, I recently visited Avcorp Industries in Delta, British Columbia, which has now signed an agreement for the production of a component of the carrier model of the jet to be used by the U.S. navy, an agreement that may represent over $500 million U.S. to this British Columbia company.
Another excellent example of the downstream benefits of this investment may be found in places like Kitchener, Toronto, Dorval, Longueuil and Laval, where the aerospace company, Héroux-Devtek, is hoping to secure possibly a quarter century of work for its employees through a successful bid. I have met with and spoken to this company and it is extremely excited and hopeful about our F-35 decision and its opportunity for jobs.
The vice-president of analysis, Teal Group, Mr. Richard Aboulafia, has estimated the JSF program will capture more than half the world's fighter production by 2019 and Canadian companies will be in on the ground floor. Mr. Claude Lajeunesse of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada has said that the program will positively affect the Canadian aerospace industries for decades to come.
These industry leaders fully understand the magnitude of the benefits that will arise from this investment.
Therefore, I am proud that Canada's is working with its allies by ensuring interoperability, equipping its brave military personnel, keeping its citizens safe and securing the health of major industries.
