Question Period Note: Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft Project

Replacement of the CP-140 will support a Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft capability that is fully operationally ready, interoperable with allies and key partners, and is able to contribute to Canada’s domestic and international commitments by 2030.

Notes:

• All questions related to capability and costs should be answered by the Minister of National Defence
• All questions related to industrial and technological benefits should be answered by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

• Public Services and Procurement Canada continues to support Canada’s armed forces through the acquisition and replacement of defence goods and services
• The P-8A Poseidon is the only readily available military off-the-shelf capability that meets the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft requirements and allows the replacement of the CP-140 Aurora by 2030
• On November 28, 2023, Canada accepted an offer from the United States Government for the acquisition of 14 P-8A and has the option to obtain up to two more aircrafts

If pressed on Boeing’s technical challenges with its 737 MAX aircraft and its recent agreement to plead guilty to criminal fraud following fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019:

• The P-8A Poseidon acquired from the United States Government is a military aircraft based on the 737 Next-Generation, and not the newer commercial 737 Max 9s which is the subject of the technical challenges and guilty plea agreement
• The P-8A assembly follows a different production and integration process and will be subject to rigorous inspections from the United States Government prior to its delivery to Canada
• Canada continues to closely monitor the situation and its potential impact on the quality and delivery of the P-8A Poseidon to Canada

If pressed on the ongoing machinists strike at Boeing that began on September 13, 2024:

• As Canada is purchasing the P-8A aircraft through the United States Government, Canada will continue to work closely with the United States Government to assess the potential impacts of the labour dispute on the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project

The aim of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft project is to replace the CP-140 Aurora fleet with a new fleet that will provide long-range, long-endurance and multi-mission capability. The current CP-140 Aurora fleet consists of 14 aircraft which were originally procured in 1980 primarily for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare. The estimated life expectancy of the CP-140 Aurora fleet is 2030.

Since its acquisition, the aircraft has been used for a variety of operations at home and abroad including surveillance of Canada’s coastal waters, anti-submarine warfare, maritime and overland intelligence, surveillance, strike coordination, disaster relief missions and many other functions. But, as the CP-140 ages, it is becoming increasingly difficult to support, expensive to sustain, and less operationally relevant in comparison to the threats against which it must defend.

Canada’s defence policy update, Our North, Strong and Free, restated Canada’s need and commitment to acquire new maritime patrol aircraft to modernize its contribution to the North American Aerospace Defence Command. The updated policy states that “to continue to meet Canada’s defence needs, the Royal Canadian Air Force must increase interoperability with its key partners and core allies”. The acquisition of the P-8A Poseidon aligns with this commitment, as all of Canada’s Five Eyes partners operate the aircraft.

Between June and December 2021, Canada contracted the services of a third-party consultant to assess the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft requirements. This multi-phased assessment concluded that the P-8A Poseidon is the only readily available military off-the-shelf capability that meets all of Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft’s requirements.

Public Service and Procurement Canada, in collaboration with the Department of National Defence and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, has engaged with industry and Canada’s closest allies to determine the best capability to replace the aging CP-140.

Information obtained by Canada demonstrated that the only solution that meets all of the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft requirements within the timeframe required to replace the CP-140 fleet by 2030 and avoid an increased capability gap is the Boeing P-8A Poseidon. It should be noted that the P-8A is also owned and operated by all of Canada’s closest defence partners, with over 160 aircraft currently in service around the world.

On November 24, 2023, the Standing Committee on National Defence submitted a report stating that “the committee is of the opinion that the government must proceed by way of a formal Request for Proposals before awarding any procurement contract of the new Canadian Multi‑Mission Aircraft”. The government response was tabled in the House of Commons April 8, 2024.

• On July 14, 2023, Canada received an offer from the United States Government, in the form of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance, for 14 P-8A aircraft with an option for 2 additional aircraft, and associated equipment and services (including initial sustainment for up to three years)
• The offer was accepted on November 28, 2023, and Canada anticipates delivery of the first aircraft as early as 2026