Originally Posted by
VFR Only Please
Great, an argument over Canadian politics.
People who talk about "tax dollars" paying for these things need to bone up on modern monetary theory. That simply isn't how it works anymore, and hasn't been since we went off the gold standard almost half a century ago.
Quebec has a lot of seats in parliament. Any government with political sense will want to keep it sweet -- hence all the federal installations of various kinds there. But subsidies to a specific company? Maybe in a marginal riding ...
Right. In my Ontario childhood it was always explained that part of the tax on gasoline went to develop Alberta's oil industry and hence Canadian energy autonomy. And then what did we see during the 1970s energy crisis? Bumper stickers in Alberta saying "Let the eastern bastards freeze in the dark!" Gosh, thanks.
Well it always was a centrifugal country.
Anyway, back to the thread topic. What Canadian government at the moment would go so low as to purchase an American fighter after recent (and not-so-recent) events?
Also (I have to ask this), what purpose do these fighters serve? To strafe Edmonton should Alberta decide to become the 51st state? I'm now citizen of a country where I ask exactly the same question. Some people can get pretty huffy, but nobody has yet produced a convincing answer. And yes, they're F18s, and yes, they're a-gittin' old.
The Canadian government will only buy american planes as that it the way it has to be because of historic reasons.. The Gripen and Eurofighter are included to make it look like a competition. lol.