Controversy and Canadian defence procurement appear to be inseparable, if not co-dependent.
At issue this time is the Canadian Multi-Mission Aircraft (CMMA), a project to replace the air force’s fleet of CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft. Ottawa appears to have scrapped earlier plans for a competition, signalling instead that it is likely to sole-source the P-8 Poseidon, built by the U.S. company Boeing, to the tune of about $8-billion. Bombardier, headquartered in Montreal, has fiercely objected to this plan, demanding that it be allowed to bid for the CMMA contract with a modified version of its Global 6500, which is in use by various militaries around the world, though not yet for maritime patrol. Bombardier is proposing to work with General Dynamics Mission Systems Canada, the firm that recently upgraded the Auroras. Both the Ontario and Quebec governments are supporting Bombardier’s call, as has the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence.
