Canada not angling to get out of F-35 contract with U.S., says head of defence procurement

Canada not angling to get out of F-35 contract with U.S., says head of defence procurement

Canada's secretary of state for defence procurement, Stephen Fuhr, said he doesn't think the federal government plans to get out of its contract to buy American-made F-35 fighter jets as 16 planes are currently being manufactured.

"I don't think that's the direction we're heading," Fuhr said in an interview on CBC's _Rosemary Barton Live_ when asked if it's possible for Ottawa to exit the contract after getting the 16 jets. "But there'll be a decision and we'll make it when we're ready."

The Liberal government signed a deal in 2023 with U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin to purchase 88 F-35 jets. But after rising trade tensions with the United States, then-defence minister Bill Blair said in March that Canada was reconsidering the purchase.

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