Military and DND actions that appear to advocate for F-35 are not helpful, minister says

'I don’t think some of these things are necessarily helpful. It’s in a review. We shouldn’t be talking about it.'

Canadian officers and defence officials who appear to be publicly advocating for the U.S. F-35 aren’t helping and the government will decide on the fighter jet deal when it feels it’s time, says the minister for defence procurement. There have been a number of recent incidents in which military officers or Department of National Defence senior officials have appeared to publicly promote the F-35s even as the Liberal government continues its review on whether to proceed with the purchase of the controversial aircraft. “I don’t think some of these things are necessarily helpful,” Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state for defence procurement, told the Ottawa Citizen.

“It’s in a review. We shouldn’t be talking about it. And the government will make a decision when they feel it’s time to make a decision.”

Canada was set to buy 88 F-35s before Prime Minister Mark Carney ordered a review of the purchase in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to cripple the Canadian economy and annex the country. At this point, Canada is only committed to purchasing 16 F-35s. The government is also examining a proposal to build Swedish Gripen fighter jets in Canada.

The latest incident involves RCAF Lt. Gen. Iain Huddleston, who was on LinkedIn responding to a suggestion from an official with a lobbying group for F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The official suggested not proceeding with a plan to build the Gripens and instead purchase the F-35s and futuristic unmanned fighter jets.

The comment was directed at Carney, Fuhr, DND deputy minister Christiane Fox and others. Huddleston, who is deputy commander at NORAD, indicated that he found that comment “insightful.” This follows a CBC report on July 4 that Crista-lynn Ferguson, Director General of Fighter Capability at DND, distributed custom-made business cards at a recent defence show in Ottawa highlighting the F-35.

Neither the Canadian Forces nor Huddleston provided comment. An interview was requested with Ferguson, but DND stated she was not available. But DND spokesperson Suzanne Lalande stated that Ferguson had the business cards made on her own initiative and did not follow approved federal government standards.

She said Ferguson has “voluntarily ceased” using the card. The cards did not “communicate a position on the F-35 review or any related government decision-making process,” according to Lalande. The RCAF has long advocated for the F-35 purchase and greater integration with the U.S. military.

As part of the government’s review process, the RCAF submitted a recommendation that Canada proceed with the full purchase of 88 F-35s. Defence insiders say some in the military and department don’t believe the Liberal government should have ordered the review. Other retired senior military officers have voiced their support for Trump or have advocated for Canada to enter into a closer financial and political relationship with the Americans.

The U.S. has also threatened consequences on Canada if it does not purchase the F-35, including flying American jets into Canadian airspace. It is unclear when Carney will make his decision on the F-35. In March 2025, the Ottawa Citizen revealed the U.S. controls all software upgrades for the aircraft and owns the parts for the planes.

That did not matter previously since the U.S. was considered a reliable ally of Canada. But that has changed and U.S. allies around the world have watched with concern about the various actions of the Trump administration. The F-35 is considered one of the top fighter jets in the world, but the aircraft has been plagued with technical problems and shortages of spare parts.

The Block 4 version of the F-35, the type that Canada plans to buy, is at least $6 billion over budget and five years behind schedule, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GOA), a congressional watchdog organization, revealed on Sept. 3, 2025. In addition, the GOA released another report in early June 2026 that determined the F-35s are only fully mission capable about 25 per cent of the time. Fully mission capable is defined as meaning the aircraft can perform all assigned missions.

In 2021, the F-35 was deemed to be fully mission capable 38 per cent of the time. David Pugliese is an award-winning journalist covering Canadian Forces and military issues in Canada. To support his work, including exclusive content for subscribers only, sign up here: ottawacitizen.com/subscribe