The 5th generation F35 is overkill for most of what we want to do, the 4.5 generation Gripen does the job at 25% of the operating cost (purchase price is about the same) and we have control of the software and actually own the spare parts (unlike with the F35 where we control neither).
NORAD Commander U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot agrees as he told the U.S. Senate Armed Services committee on March 21, 2026:
"I would like to see continued modernization of fourth-generation fighter fleet, we don't need fifth-gen to defend our borders. Those capabilities are better used overseas, where their stealth, air-to-ground weapons and penetration capability are needed."
Nonsense, the Gripen scores only 19 out 60 compared to the F35. F35 employees more people in Canada than the Gripen ever will. Joly is a totally clueless minister
Reneging on our commitments and buying a lesser defense system out of spite is the Liberal way that shames the country, and its service members. The defense free ride gave successive governments the idea that our defense and readiness was just just a bargaining chip. How long have our service members lived with crap kit because of this feckless attitude: too long. A strong Canada meets its commitments.
It’s not really-we will have a smaller fleet of F35’s for what they are suited for, and a larger fleet of Gripens for most of the other things we need a fighter for without needing the full on F35. We will have a larger and more broad overall Air Force, without much difference in cost.
Why can Cdns not see how this Lib govt & Carney's agenda are DESTROYING CANADA???The car unions should uprise & go after Doug Ford to go after Carney & his ministers to shut down this dangerous plan to bring in Chinese vehicles and all their assembly kits. If they do, Honda & Toyota will be gone & we'll be further down in the dumpster. We will never ever survive by trading with Europe...the rest of the world needs to trade with the USA & we need the USA & Carney thinks he's so clever playing games with Trump but he's just an arrogant European ass playing with Canadian lives!!!
I agree Karen, and Japan's not the only country that will primarily use Cda to get into the USA. As we stand right now, with this govt, we are just a pawn in the game.
Trump says that the US doesn’t need to buy any cars from Canada and your takeaway is that Carney is destroying the Canadian auto industry? Wow, can’t get much farther off the mark than that.
We need to look at the big picture here..despite what Trump says, we know that the USA will still be buying from Cda. Trump is a temporary blip. Every country wants to protect what they have including Canada. Common sense should prevail. We need to improve our side of the bargaining table too. We can sort this out if the egos are eliminated!
With respect, and without malice, if you think Canada can have a successful automotive industry without access to the U.S. market, you are wrong.
There is a large space between what President Trump says, and what he does; perhaps instead of appeasing Europeans, Chinese, and Palestinian interests, we could spend some time appeasing the Americans.
Where did I say that Canada can have a successful car industry without selling into the US? I didn’t because that would be impossible. Everyone knows that the auto industry is integrated - decoupling Canada, which is Trump’s stated goal, would hurt both countries. Trump doesn’t seem to understand that. How much of that is bluster? I don’t know, but simply agreeing to his demands won’t work for us.
You suggested that the previous poster was “off the mark” for criticizing Prime Minister Carney for his so-called trade strategies, which include diversification away from the U.S. market.
It appears, Kevin, that like the Prime Minister himself, you have one thing to say to one group of folks, and a completely different story for whomever else you may be talking.
Your comment makes no sense. Where is the different message in what I’ve said? Elbows Up is a slogan, not a strategy, which implies do anything to hurt the US. I said nothing of the sort except point out that the US/Canadian auto industry is integrated and that if Trump tries to destroy Canada’s auto industry then he will damage the US as well. The US imports about 60% of its total aluminum usage and of that amount about 62% comes from Canada. The US also imports 23% of its steel requirements from Canada. I don’t need to point out that steel and aluminum are critical inputs for the auto sector so try to destroy Canada’s auto sector at your own peril. Here is another fact for you - in 2024 Canada’s trade with the US accounted for 69% of Canada’s total trade and in 2025 the US accounted for 65% of total trade with the difference made up by increased trade with primarily Europe. So diversification away from the US is a valid strategy, not just a slogan.
The problem with your statement is ‘when Trump says…..’- yes, some of it may allude to a real potential, most of it is posturing for negotiation tactic.
‘Trump says…..’ is not a good way to preface things because he’ll say something else the next day, then something else after that.
Know your adversary.
Canadian leaders have learned nothing, and just keep taking us deeper and deeper.
You’re wrong. It doesn’t matter what you say to Trump. He will twist it for whatever purpose suits his addled brain. Just look at how he treated Italian Prime Minister Meloni. Totally unhinged. And that’s how he treats an ally? PM Carney just needs to keep doing what he’s doing. Keep diversifying trade away from the US. Not totally, that’s impossible but less reliance on US is better. And how can you say that is not a negotiating ploy on Canada’s part?
It’s not delusional to want to increase our trade with countries other than the US. When all of this nonsense started, Canada/US trade accounted for about 75% of or total trade. Now the CAD/US trade is about 71%. The difference is the result of more trade with Europe. It can be done. If 50% of our total trade was with the US then we wouldn’t be in the position of being blackmailed. Just need to sell more goods and energy to Europe and the Pacific countries.
Oh thou brainless ones, they can’t help it tho, they probably don’t even have to wipe themselves, someone does it for them, how can they possibly run a country! Poor dears!
Carney’s cabinet is dangerously clueless, that much is obvious. More and more though it feels like Carney and his team’s idea of geopolitics is rolling the dice on a game of RISK board. I don’t think he has a clue either! Every move seems predicated on electoral fortune and benefiting this friend or that with no regards to benefiting the country as a whole. He’s playing dangerous games with the livelihood of countless Canadians with nary a peep from the legacy media or Canadians in general. Canada’s world is getting smaller and poorer thanks to the elbows up brigade who insist on keeping the liberals in power while keeping their heads firmly planted where the sun doesn’t shine.
hah...I wonder if more Swedish influence is needed on carnage. Recently they have cracked down on immigration (hear that Mr C?), and will prosecute immigrants who commit fraud, and behave in manners not suitable to Swedish values (hear that Mr C?), AND the best - that immigrants have to adopt to Swedish values and their way of life...or get out (hear that Mr C?) Three cheers for Sweden....
Agree Susan. Sweden experiences a bombing by terrorists virtually every second day!!!! They are staring at the abyss. I follow a substack poster “Peter Sweden “ who lives and reports on life in Sweden.
Why is the liberal govt still calling the shots. Honestly, they are the bad news bears..every day.. so weary reading all they have not accomplished..we look pathetic btw.. jmo
There is a risk of losing what car mfg we have left. Honda, as you stated...and no new deals with the usa re. CUSMA..
we dont need to worry about Trump making us the 51st state were doing it all by ourselves .
I wonder what the military thinks of this. Were they even asked? As to 4th versus 5th generation .. yes, we need 5th, they are already working on 6th generation, placing Canadian pilots at risk because Carney has a hate on, or more correctly, convincing Canadians to have a hate on for the US. AS Brian Lilley pointed out Canada has been paying into this program for decades and like most things the Liberals are doing their best to screw things up IF it will serve them politically. This is not a party concerned with Canada, this is not even a Canadian party any more. This is simply a WEF front for Schwab and company.
The left seems to like this for unknown reasons, then again reason seems to have left that group and they are firmly entrenched in their moral and emotional superiority. Useless for soldiers fighting a war which is what is at stake here.
Head of NORAD Commander U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot recently stated that 5th (or 6th) generation planes are not necessary for the defence of North America:
"I would like to see continued modernization of fourth-generation fighter fleet, we don't need fifth-gen to defend our borders. Those capabilities are better used overseas, where their stealth, air-to-ground weapons and penetration capability are needed." (March 21, 2026)
A mixed fleet with both Gripen and F35 gives us good balance, and since all our major allies are able to have mixed fighter fleets RCAF can do it as well.
Still puzzled as to the plan for getting US approval for the engines used in the Gripen. Trump seems like he could spike export approval on a whim (e.g. Gordie Howe Bridge he signed iff on still not open...) - "hope is not a plan" and all that. It's all dragged on so long I think at this point we buy the bare minimum, get in early on the 6th generation programme, and be on time for once.
It seems like a lot of stupid people, Joly in particular, don't understand how supply chains work and who supplies critical components like engines. At least from a political point of view, it's good for the Liberals, because that's all that matters anyway. Too bad when they realize they can't build those planes without American engines, nobody will care.
Trump could nix the engine sale but he won’t as he would face too much push back from the big American defence contractors. Not only would they (General Electric in this case) lose this engine sale (a relatively small order) but it would be hard evidence to potential buyers of American gear from Europe, Asia and the Middle East that American suppliers can’t be trusted and they need to look elsewhere.
The supporters of a mixed fleet of Gripens and f35 show how badly informed they are. Oh well. If god won’t help us I hope USA will. And after Trump it will still be honest republicans. Vance or Rubio. I’m liking both but lean towards Rubio. For us in Canada we are doomed as long as the totalitarian Carney liberals suborn parliament
Mark Carney is going to deliver exactly what Canadians deserve for being so apathetic and complacent. Any other Citizens would be gathering in the streets by now- but Canadians just keep taking it.
How much money can we actually print? And we watch the value of our dollar shrink and shrink.
Carney is a fool! He thinks he is a big fish in a big pool but he is not even a little fish in a little pool! He is a dead fish in a little pool and soon the big fish won’t even find bones left to pick at! Take your money and go live in Europe Con Carney! Let’s see how long you last there! If I never hear your name or the Liberal party’s moniker again I will be over joyed!
"What the government is good at is collecting taxes, taking away your freedoms and killing people. It's not good at much else."
Tom Clancy
Great quote; thank you for sharing.
Unbelievably stupid if we go with the Swedish fighter!!
The 5th generation F35 is overkill for most of what we want to do, the 4.5 generation Gripen does the job at 25% of the operating cost (purchase price is about the same) and we have control of the software and actually own the spare parts (unlike with the F35 where we control neither).
NORAD Commander U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot agrees as he told the U.S. Senate Armed Services committee on March 21, 2026:
"I would like to see continued modernization of fourth-generation fighter fleet, we don't need fifth-gen to defend our borders. Those capabilities are better used overseas, where their stealth, air-to-ground weapons and penetration capability are needed."
Nonsense, the Gripen scores only 19 out 60 compared to the F35. F35 employees more people in Canada than the Gripen ever will. Joly is a totally clueless minister
The F-35 is superior and allows us to work with the US which is the country next to us in case the TDS morons have forgotten that.
Reneging on our commitments and buying a lesser defense system out of spite is the Liberal way that shames the country, and its service members. The defense free ride gave successive governments the idea that our defense and readiness was just just a bargaining chip. How long have our service members lived with crap kit because of this feckless attitude: too long. A strong Canada meets its commitments.
It’s not really-we will have a smaller fleet of F35’s for what they are suited for, and a larger fleet of Gripens for most of the other things we need a fighter for without needing the full on F35. We will have a larger and more broad overall Air Force, without much difference in cost.
Why can Cdns not see how this Lib govt & Carney's agenda are DESTROYING CANADA???The car unions should uprise & go after Doug Ford to go after Carney & his ministers to shut down this dangerous plan to bring in Chinese vehicles and all their assembly kits. If they do, Honda & Toyota will be gone & we'll be further down in the dumpster. We will never ever survive by trading with Europe...the rest of the world needs to trade with the USA & we need the USA & Carney thinks he's so clever playing games with Trump but he's just an arrogant European ass playing with Canadian lives!!!
When Japan comes right out and tells Canada ‘we only like doing business in Canada for access to American markets’
There are some UNAVOIDABLE and inconvenient truths that Canadian leaders be best to not deny.
I agree Karen, and Japan's not the only country that will primarily use Cda to get into the USA. As we stand right now, with this govt, we are just a pawn in the game.
Trump says that the US doesn’t need to buy any cars from Canada and your takeaway is that Carney is destroying the Canadian auto industry? Wow, can’t get much farther off the mark than that.
We need to look at the big picture here..despite what Trump says, we know that the USA will still be buying from Cda. Trump is a temporary blip. Every country wants to protect what they have including Canada. Common sense should prevail. We need to improve our side of the bargaining table too. We can sort this out if the egos are eliminated!
With respect, and without malice, if you think Canada can have a successful automotive industry without access to the U.S. market, you are wrong.
There is a large space between what President Trump says, and what he does; perhaps instead of appeasing Europeans, Chinese, and Palestinian interests, we could spend some time appeasing the Americans.
Where did I say that Canada can have a successful car industry without selling into the US? I didn’t because that would be impossible. Everyone knows that the auto industry is integrated - decoupling Canada, which is Trump’s stated goal, would hurt both countries. Trump doesn’t seem to understand that. How much of that is bluster? I don’t know, but simply agreeing to his demands won’t work for us.
Thank you for the reply.
You suggested that the previous poster was “off the mark” for criticizing Prime Minister Carney for his so-called trade strategies, which include diversification away from the U.S. market.
It appears, Kevin, that like the Prime Minister himself, you have one thing to say to one group of folks, and a completely different story for whomever else you may be talking.
Elbows Up!!
Your comment makes no sense. Where is the different message in what I’ve said? Elbows Up is a slogan, not a strategy, which implies do anything to hurt the US. I said nothing of the sort except point out that the US/Canadian auto industry is integrated and that if Trump tries to destroy Canada’s auto industry then he will damage the US as well. The US imports about 60% of its total aluminum usage and of that amount about 62% comes from Canada. The US also imports 23% of its steel requirements from Canada. I don’t need to point out that steel and aluminum are critical inputs for the auto sector so try to destroy Canada’s auto sector at your own peril. Here is another fact for you - in 2024 Canada’s trade with the US accounted for 69% of Canada’s total trade and in 2025 the US accounted for 65% of total trade with the difference made up by increased trade with primarily Europe. So diversification away from the US is a valid strategy, not just a slogan.
The problem with your statement is ‘when Trump says…..’- yes, some of it may allude to a real potential, most of it is posturing for negotiation tactic.
‘Trump says…..’ is not a good way to preface things because he’ll say something else the next day, then something else after that.
Know your adversary.
Canadian leaders have learned nothing, and just keep taking us deeper and deeper.
You’re wrong. It doesn’t matter what you say to Trump. He will twist it for whatever purpose suits his addled brain. Just look at how he treated Italian Prime Minister Meloni. Totally unhinged. And that’s how he treats an ally? PM Carney just needs to keep doing what he’s doing. Keep diversifying trade away from the US. Not totally, that’s impossible but less reliance on US is better. And how can you say that is not a negotiating ploy on Canada’s part?
there is no way to diversify away from to the degree that it would need to happen. Transporting items ACROSS OCEANS makes it economically unrealistic.
Trump is Trump….. America is a massive economy- we must find a way to make it work. Thinking we can pivot away from America is delusional.
It’s not delusional to want to increase our trade with countries other than the US. When all of this nonsense started, Canada/US trade accounted for about 75% of or total trade. Now the CAD/US trade is about 71%. The difference is the result of more trade with Europe. It can be done. If 50% of our total trade was with the US then we wouldn’t be in the position of being blackmailed. Just need to sell more goods and energy to Europe and the Pacific countries.
you are free to frame this however suits you.
Mark Carney has been promoted sideways and out of every position he's ever had. He's dumber'n dirt, but he's glib until you really pay attention.
Stupidity is always much more evil than evil.
We are doomed.
Liberal gadfly and hatchet-man Warren Kinsella called Melanie Joly “the worst Minister since Confederation”.
She has only confirmed those suspicions.
What an unmitigated disaster for Canadians.
Oh thou brainless ones, they can’t help it tho, they probably don’t even have to wipe themselves, someone does it for them, how can they possibly run a country! Poor dears!
Carney’s cabinet is dangerously clueless, that much is obvious. More and more though it feels like Carney and his team’s idea of geopolitics is rolling the dice on a game of RISK board. I don’t think he has a clue either! Every move seems predicated on electoral fortune and benefiting this friend or that with no regards to benefiting the country as a whole. He’s playing dangerous games with the livelihood of countless Canadians with nary a peep from the legacy media or Canadians in general. Canada’s world is getting smaller and poorer thanks to the elbows up brigade who insist on keeping the liberals in power while keeping their heads firmly planted where the sun doesn’t shine.
hah...I wonder if more Swedish influence is needed on carnage. Recently they have cracked down on immigration (hear that Mr C?), and will prosecute immigrants who commit fraud, and behave in manners not suitable to Swedish values (hear that Mr C?), AND the best - that immigrants have to adopt to Swedish values and their way of life...or get out (hear that Mr C?) Three cheers for Sweden....
Agree Susan. Sweden experiences a bombing by terrorists virtually every second day!!!! They are staring at the abyss. I follow a substack poster “Peter Sweden “ who lives and reports on life in Sweden.
https://petersweden.substack.com/p/sweden-189-bombings-in-2025?r=kgcei&utm_medium=ios
You mean Brookfield.
🤔
Pretty much.
I write without editing.
You get what I am thinking, good bad or indifferent.
Lot a grammatical mistakes along the way.
Has no bearing on my intellect.
No Auto correct in posts.
What you see is what you get.
Thanks for stopping by.
So. How many times is Carney going to purposely destroy this country before People wake the Hell Up !!
Read some of the stupid people in this comment thread. They have TDS bad!!
Why is the liberal govt still calling the shots. Honestly, they are the bad news bears..every day.. so weary reading all they have not accomplished..we look pathetic btw.. jmo
There is a risk of losing what car mfg we have left. Honda, as you stated...and no new deals with the usa re. CUSMA..
we dont need to worry about Trump making us the 51st state were doing it all by ourselves .
Depressing.
Exactly
I wonder what the military thinks of this. Were they even asked? As to 4th versus 5th generation .. yes, we need 5th, they are already working on 6th generation, placing Canadian pilots at risk because Carney has a hate on, or more correctly, convincing Canadians to have a hate on for the US. AS Brian Lilley pointed out Canada has been paying into this program for decades and like most things the Liberals are doing their best to screw things up IF it will serve them politically. This is not a party concerned with Canada, this is not even a Canadian party any more. This is simply a WEF front for Schwab and company.
The left seems to like this for unknown reasons, then again reason seems to have left that group and they are firmly entrenched in their moral and emotional superiority. Useless for soldiers fighting a war which is what is at stake here.
Head of NORAD Commander U.S. Air Force Gen. Gregory Guillot recently stated that 5th (or 6th) generation planes are not necessary for the defence of North America:
"I would like to see continued modernization of fourth-generation fighter fleet, we don't need fifth-gen to defend our borders. Those capabilities are better used overseas, where their stealth, air-to-ground weapons and penetration capability are needed." (March 21, 2026)
A mixed fleet with both Gripen and F35 gives us good balance, and since all our major allies are able to have mixed fighter fleets RCAF can do it as well.
Except our military already said we can’t support both.
Still puzzled as to the plan for getting US approval for the engines used in the Gripen. Trump seems like he could spike export approval on a whim (e.g. Gordie Howe Bridge he signed iff on still not open...) - "hope is not a plan" and all that. It's all dragged on so long I think at this point we buy the bare minimum, get in early on the 6th generation programme, and be on time for once.
It seems like a lot of stupid people, Joly in particular, don't understand how supply chains work and who supplies critical components like engines. At least from a political point of view, it's good for the Liberals, because that's all that matters anyway. Too bad when they realize they can't build those planes without American engines, nobody will care.
Have you heard of Rolls-Royce? They make jet engines too.
Trump could nix the engine sale but he won’t as he would face too much push back from the big American defence contractors. Not only would they (General Electric in this case) lose this engine sale (a relatively small order) but it would be hard evidence to potential buyers of American gear from Europe, Asia and the Middle East that American suppliers can’t be trusted and they need to look elsewhere.
The supporters of a mixed fleet of Gripens and f35 show how badly informed they are. Oh well. If god won’t help us I hope USA will. And after Trump it will still be honest republicans. Vance or Rubio. I’m liking both but lean towards Rubio. For us in Canada we are doomed as long as the totalitarian Carney liberals suborn parliament
I lean towards Rubio too. Very intelligent and measured man. I hope the US helps Canadians leave our totalitarian country.
Mark Carney is going to deliver exactly what Canadians deserve for being so apathetic and complacent. Any other Citizens would be gathering in the streets by now- but Canadians just keep taking it.
How much money can we actually print? And we watch the value of our dollar shrink and shrink.
Carney is a fool! He thinks he is a big fish in a big pool but he is not even a little fish in a little pool! He is a dead fish in a little pool and soon the big fish won’t even find bones left to pick at! Take your money and go live in Europe Con Carney! Let’s see how long you last there! If I never hear your name or the Liberal party’s moniker again I will be over joyed!