Government officials in Ottawa are reviewing the nation’s $19 billion agreement to acquire 88 F-35 fighter jets from American manufacturer Lockheed Martin, as relations with Washington deteriorate under President Donald Trump’s administration.
This decision follows similar deliberations in Portugal, where authorities are reassessing their planned €5.5 billion investment in the same aircraft.
Over the weekend, Jagmeet Singh, leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party, said he would terminate the F-35 agreement and initiate a fresh procurement process favoring domestic manufacturing and reduced dependence on the United States. Singh advocated for partnerships with companies willing to establish jet production facilities within Canadian borders.
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“Let’s buy fighter jets where the company will build those jets in Canada, creating jobs but also a national security of knowing that we can build and we can maintain those fighter jets in our own country,” Singh said at the Iqaluit press conference.
Singh’s announcement came shortly after Defense Minister Bill Blair confirmed the government was reevaluating its F-35 commitment. According to ministry spokesperson Laurent de Casanove, newly installed Prime Minister Mark Carney has directed Blair to assess whether the current agreement represents optimal value for Canada and to explore alternative options.
Defense analysts warn that withdrawing from the contract would face significant challenges. Philippe Lagassé from Carleton University, whose expertise includes defense procurement policy, indicated that cancellation would incur financial penalties and disrupt ongoing preparations for infrastructure and training programs.
The NDP has pointed to Sweden’s Saab corporation, which previously offered to assemble its Gripen fighter jets in Canada and share technical knowledge for domestic maintenance capabilities. Lagassé cautioned, however, that procurement regulations prevent simply selecting the runner-up from the previous competition without establishing a new formal selection process.
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Beyond economic considerations, the NDP has expressed concern that F-35 purchases from the US would leave Canada dependent on American approval for vital software and hardware updates. The same worries were voiced in Portugal.
Read: Trump Unpredictability Leads Portugal to Reconsider €5.5 Billion F-35 Purchase
Portugal’s departing Defense Minister Nuno Melo expressed reservations about the F-35 acquisition to the publication Publico, despite his air force’s recommendation to proceed with the purchase.
“The F-16s are at the end of their lifecycle and we will have to think about how to replace them. However, we cannot ignore the geopolitical environment in our choices. The predictability of our allies is a greater priority to take into account,” Melo explained.
Former Canadian military chief Tom Lawson explained to CBC that denial of software support would result in “an aircraft which would age inelegantly in coming years.” However, he emphasized that such restrictions would likely only materialize “under absolute aggression between the US and Canada,” a scenario he considers unlikely in the current climate.
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