Standing Committee on Public Accounts

Comité permanent des comptes publics

For immediate release

Ottawa, March 22, 2019 -

In 2016, the Government of Canada directed National Defence to have enough fighter aircraft available to concurrently meet Canada’s NORAD and NATO commitments. This required increasing the number of fighter aircraft available at a time the Royal Canadian Air Force faced a growing shortage of trained and experienced pilots and technicians, as well as an aging fleet, according to a report of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts presented today by the Honorable Kevin Sorenson, Chair of the Committee.

In the fall of 2018, the Office of the Auditor General of Canada released a performance audit whose purpose was to determine whether National Defence managed risks related to Canada’s fighter aircraft fleet so that it could meet Canada’s commitments to NORAD and NATO until a replacement fleet is operational. The audit found that in addition to the challenges of an aging fighter aircraft fleet and growing personnel shortages, the government’s proposed solution of buying interim aircraft will not help solve either problem. Additionally, the audit found that the CF-18—Canada’s only fighter aircraft used in military operations—had not been significantly upgraded for combat since 2008, in part because the Department expected a replacement fleet to be in place by 2020.

As part of its report on this audit, the Committee has made two recommendations to ensure that National Defence addresses these matters, so that Canada can ensure the viability of its operational requirements and commitments with its allies.