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Letter: What is the cost of security?

Now that the election campaign is more than half over, we are seeing what Stephan Harper considers part of Canada’s “security needs.”
95320mapleridgeF35-joint-strike-fighter
A F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet.

Editor, The News:

Now that the election campaign is more than half over, we are seeing what Stephan Harper considers part of Canada’s “security needs.”

The subject of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jets is now being discussed in public as it relates to the various Political Parties Armed Services Procurement Policies.

The Conservatives, under Mr. Harper, have been forging ahead with this purchase and the other parties have reservations, to say the least. Keep in mind, these planes are built for one reason and one reason only: to destroy property and kill people.

These purchases need to be investigated to determine whether or not each participating nation is paying the same price as the others. A price, I remind you, which to this day is fluid. We have no total price or costs of operating these aircraft, but I assure you it is in the billions.

Furthermore, if Mr. Harper wants to spend billions on security, then I would suggest he invest in more Canadian-built ice-breakers, patrol ships and surveillance aircraft for all three coasts and not take our fight overseas.

We must defend Canada’s borders and the money spent to defend Canada must be invested in Canada, for Canadians.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet program is well over budget and the bugs have not yet been ironed out. Besides, who is it Canada wants to kill with these machines? Won’t drones do the job at much less cost? They have been quite successful for the United States when it comes to killing terrorists and many others who happen to be standing in the neighbourhood at the time.

Mike Boileau

Maple Ridge