Saturday, August 13, 2011

John Ibbitson on How Canadian Defence Procurement Works



If you're a Canadian and you follow the politics of defence spending, you will know that it's a complicated business deciding what to buy and where in Canada the money gets spent. That point was driven home to me recently in a recent military course or OPME on military technology.

In Saturday's Globe and Mail, John Ibbitson does an excellent job of explaining the government's three choices as to which regions will get huge contracts to build new ships for the Navy and Coast Guard. Halifax's Irving Shipyards and Vancouver's Seaspan Shipyards both have strong bids and strong provincial lobbying behind them. When I went through the Ottawa airport recently, Nova Scotia adds promoting Halifax's shipbuilding industry were everywhere. However, Quebec City has a hastily concocted bid from the David Yards, which have a somewhat dodgy financial history. All three regions are in play for the Tories politically. Who will win? Very short and insightful piece, well worth reading.

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