Skip to main content

Facing fierce opposition to its plan to buy new fighter jets, the Harper government has moved back and forth on a plan to have a cabinet discussion on Wednesday to launch negotiations on a $9-billion sole-sourced contract with Lockheed-Martin.

A senior government source told The Globe and Mail on Tuesday that the government has been facing "lots of pressure" from rival manufacturers, which are trying to convince the government to open up a competitive process to buy the new aircraft.

At one point, the source said, the topic was removed from the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the cabinet committee on economic growth, chaired by Industry Minister Tony Clement.

The matter is now back on the agenda, but the shilly-shallying highlights the effectiveness of the ongoing lobbying campaign, as highlighted in , to stop the government from buying F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

Interact with The Globe