More than 200 officials forced to sign lifetime gag order on fighter jets
OTTAWA — More than 200 federal civil servants involved in replacing Canada’s aging fighter jet fleet have been forced to swear they will not discuss the project for the rest of their lives.
Revelations of the “lifetime” non-disclosure agreements come as the government prepares to start negotiations with U.S. aerospace giant Boeing to purchase 18 Super Hornets.
The government says it needs the Hornets to address an urgent shortage of warplanes until a competition to replace all 77 of Canada’s CF-18s can be finished – a process it says could take up to five years.
Critics say the air force does have enough planes and the decision to buy Hornets now and punt a competition to later is part of a larger Liberal plan to avoid buying the controversial F-35 stealth fighter.