TSO146 was not the "excuse" for removing nav aids. Those removed were at or past the ends of their service lives and would have to be replaced. The IFR community said that they were not needed because of the availability of GNSS and inertial nav systems. As a result they were not prepared to pay for them.
The consultation and discussion went on for several years more than a decade ago.
TSO C129 navigators were still acceptable but with limitations due to absence of fault detection & exclusion. TSO146 was required for sole means nav because it includes FDE. See CAO20.18.
ADS-B only needs the "engine" as noted above and that is available at lower cost than the navigator box.
I realise that this is a rumour site site but slagging off as a result of ignorance just belittles the slagger.