Question Period Note: Future Fighter Capability Project

As part of the Government of Canada’s reaffirmed commitment to invest in Canada’s military, as announced in the 2017 Defence Policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government launched an open and transparent competition in December 2017 to permanently replace Canada’s fighter fleet with 88 advanced jets—the Future Fighter Capability Project.

Notes:

• All questions related to capability gap, security and interoperability requirements, costs, and Canada’s participation in the Joint Strike Fighter Program should be answered by the Minister of National Defence
• All questions related to the Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy and the assessment of bidders’ impact on Canada’s economic interests should be answered by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
• All questions related to trade issues should be answered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs

• The Government is committed to ensuring that members of the Canadian Armed Forces have the equipment they need to do their jobs and protect Canadians, while ensuring the best value for Canadians
  • We delivered on our promise to launch an open, fair and transparent competitive process to replace Canada's fighter fleet with 88 advanced fighter jets, and we are making great progress
  • Over the coming weeks, my department will work with the Department of National Defence, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and Innovation, Science, and Economic Development on next steps for the process and I look forward to that decision
  • We will continue to keep Canadians abreast of our progress when information is available to share

If pressed on the US-Boeing proposal:

• We have shared as much information as possible since this process was first announced in 2017
• All proposals were subject to the same evaluation criteria and were rigorously assessed on elements of capability, cost, economic benefits and security, with oversight by an independent fairness monitor
• Due to the confidential aspect of the information provided by the bidders during the procurement process, no further information can be provided

In June 2017, Canada’s Defence Policy confirmed a fleet size of 88 advanced fighter aircrafts to replace the current CF-18s. The Government launched a procurement process for the future fighter aircraft in December 2017. Officials conducted extensive industry engagement with suppliers to maximize the likelihood that Canada receives competitive proposals, and with Canadian industry to ensure that they are well positioned to participate in the procurement.

An independent fairness monitor is overseeing the entire process, to ensure a level playing field for all bidders. An independent third-party reviewer was also engaged to assess the quality and effectiveness of the procurement approach.

In November 2018, France-Dassault Aviation officially withdrew from the competitive process.

In July 2019, the request for proposal was shared with the eligible suppliers.

In August 2019, UK-Airbus also withdrew from the competition.

On October 4, 2019, Canada received Preliminary Security Offers from the remaining 3 eligible suppliers, outlining how the suppliers intend to meet Canada’s security and interoperability requirements. Canada completed the First Security Acceptability Assessment on these offers and provided significant feedback to suppliers on January 31, 2020. The feedback helped suppliers understand the scope of information required in their proposals for Canada’s assessment of their security offer.

On December 1, 2021, Canada announced that, following evaluation of the proposals, two bidders—Swedish Government and SAAB AB and the United States Government and Lockheed Martin Corporation—remain eligible under the Future Fighter Capability Project competitive procurement process.

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