Defence Department bracing for changes at the top
Posted Jun 26, 2012 05:26:38 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Canada’s Department of Defence is bracing for changes that could include new faces in four top positions.
Central Nova MP Peter MacKay is on the verge of becoming the longest serving Minister of Defence in Canadian history, after nearly five years on the job, but a flurry of criticism over several recent issues has observers predicting his tenure is about to end.
“We could see a cabinet shuffle, maybe over the summer. Maybe Minister MacKay will be shuffled out of defence. There’s nothing hard, or concrete, to say it’s going to happen,” president of the Reno Institute, Steven Staples, told the Todd Veinotte Show Monday.
MacKay has been under fire in recent months for several issues related to the defence portfolio – most notably the cost of the F-35 stealth aircraft.
“It’s still not known how much the fleet of 65 planes will cost,” said Staples. “What’s happened as well, not only have they had cost overruns, but they’ve had delays as well.”
The latest report suggests the new stealth fighters won’t be ready before Canada’s current fleet of CF-18s are retired in 2020.
The Vancouver Sun reports defence officials are preparing to ask the government for money to extend the life of the CF-18s until the F-35 are ready for the tarmac.
At the same time, MacKay announced last month that his department would be reviewing its spending strategy in an effort to trim $2 billion from its budget.
Other changes at the Department of Defence include the retirement of Chief of Defence Staff Walter Natynczyk and deputy minister of defence Robert Fongberg.
The Chronicle Herald reports Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantino may also be on his way out.
The paper reports Immigration Minister Jason Kenney or Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird could be in line to take MacKay’s seat.
