Growing threats to Canada’s security drove $10B surveillance plane purchase, minister says

Defence Minister Bill Blair says a sense of urgency driven by security threats around the globe is behind the federal government’s decision to sole-source a deal worth more than $10 billion to buy a new fleet of military surveillance planes.

When asked by CBC News if the announcement is an acknowledgement that Canada needs to move faster on military procurement, Blair said that as threats continue to evolve, additional investments are needed. He said this latest contract is an “important step.”

“I personally feel a sense of urgency to address the needs of our Armed Forces,” said Blair. “The world is becoming an increasingly dangerous place. Therefore, I’m very much seized with a sense of urgency to respond to the requirements they brought forward.

“We’re spending Canadian taxpayer dollars, we’re going to do it carefully, we’re going to do it thoughtfully. But we know the job has to be done.”

Several cabinet ministers announced the deal on Thursday to purchase up to 16 Boeing P-8A Poseidon on the same day the offer to Boeing was set to expire. A senior government source said Canada could have faced the risk of a higher price tag if it had allowed the clock to run out on the offer.

Blair said the P-8A Poseidon is the only “currently available, proven aircraft that meets all the operational requirements” of the Royal Canadian Air Force. All of Canada’s Five Eyes allies also use the aircraft, Blair said.

“We believe that it is very much in the public and national interest to acquire the only capability currently available to us,” he said.

The Quebec-based aviation firm Bombardier, several airlines and the premiers of Ontario and Quebec have called on Ottawa to launch an open competition for the contract.

Bombardier said it wanted to pitch a militarized version of one of its planes. Blair called Bombardier’s proposal a “developmental option” the federal government isn’t considering because it wants a proven model that allies are using already.

On Thursday, Bombardier said it was “disappointed” in the government’s decision.

“The solution we were ready to present would have been a game changer for the Canadian economy,” the company said in a media statement. “There is still a bright future for maritime surveillance platforms that Bombardier is ready, willing and able to offer Canada, and the rest of world.”

Senior government officials said launching a competition would have added another three to four years to the timeline. 

WATCH | Defence minister says Boeing surveillance plane the only option for Canada:

Featured Video“There were no other real options,” Defence Minister Bill Blair told Power & Politics of the government’s decision to sole-source the purchase of up to 16 new patrol aircraft to Boeing. “The other options were the development of a plane that did not yet exist.”

The first of the Boeing P-8A planes is scheduled for delivery in 2026; all the aircraft are to be delivered by 2027, senior officials said. Canada plans to buy 14 of the planes with the option of buying another two if needed, officials said.

The government is replacing its CP-140 Aurora fleet, used to patrol Canada’s coastline. The fleet is set to retire from service in 2030 after roughly 50 years in service. The planes have been used to protect Canada’s sovereignty along the coastline, monitor sanctions against North Korea and counter narcotics trafficking, Blair said. 

“But the Aurora is becoming increasingly difficult to support, expensive to sustain, and less suited to operating in today’s threat environment,” said Blair.

“Meanwhile, our adversaries have been deploying increasingly sophisticated stealthy and lethal capabilities.”

Blair said Canada is seeing more frequent incursions and aggressive posture from potential adversaries such as Russia and China. 

“This is really a question of national security,” said Blair. “We have responsibilities to NATO for example.”

Military officials said the Aurora fleet uses an outmoded static sono-buoy system that passively listens for submarines. A senior official said the Boeing P-A planes have technology that actively triangulates to locate more advanced modern submarines.

Military officials said that technology will allow the forces to surveil a much larger volume of water. Since allies use the same planes, Canada can share data with them, the official said.

The government said Boeing has agreed to invest $5.4 billion over 10 years in the Canadian economy. The company also said its investment could create “nearly 3,000 jobs and $358 million annually in economic output to Canada.”

Industry Minster François-Philippe Champagne said the “money’s coming back in Canada.”

“This is also about jobs,” he said. “This is about helping our Canadian aerospace industry. This is about also building our supply chain in Canada.”

Boeing says more than 80 suppliers across the country already support P-8 production and the work will benefit more than 260 Canadian companies.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashley Burke is a senior reporter with the CBC’s Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa. She was recognized with the Charles Lynch Award and was a finalist for the Michener Award for her exclusive reporting on the toxic workplace at Rideau Hall. She has also uncovered allegations of sexual misconduct involving senior leaders in the Canadian military. You can reach her confidentially by email: ashley.burke@cbc.ca