opinion

Sweden's Air Force Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter takes off during the AFX 18 exercise in Amari military air base in Estonia in 2018.

John Diefenbaker’s scrapping of the Avro Arrow interceptor jet in 1959 is often, and rightfully, condemned as the greatest act of industrial sabotage in Canadian history. The supersonic, delta-winged angel of death was considered a decade ahead of its time. Five were built before the then-prime minister deemed the defence project too expensive and determined that foreign allies were unlikely to buy the machine.

The planes were demolished. Avro Canada – which had 50,000 employees in the late 1950s, making it one of the world’s top aerospace companies – went out of business. National pride took a hit and Canada suffered a massive brain drain as the top

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