The F-35 spanking

And that was the auditor general’s report. Issues with border inspections, airline safety and, oh yeah, the F-35
procurement process, which was understandably scathing. DND didn’t run a proper
procurement process and wasn’t upfront about escalating costs. As well, there
are concerns about the regional industrial benefits from the purchase and the
lack of a Plan B (caution: possible paywall). The government responded shortly

thereafter with the plan to shift the procurement process to a special
secretariat at Public Works and to address some of the other issues, but it
does seem to be two years overdue. Meanwhile, here, courtesy of Aaron Wherry, is
a collection of F-35 quotations about past points and their evolution. Philippe Lagassé
looks at the bureaucratic practices and the ministerial responsibility for the
decisions made, and John Geddes looks back at some other procurement debacles.
I post some of my own thoughts on the mindset that enabled the whole thing to
happen. Oh, and the parliamentary budget officer has pretty much delivered a
“told you so.”

First they made some spectacularly bad
appointments and broke it, and now the Conservatives are killing the Rights and Democracy agency. This, after the Conservatives announced ages ago that
they wanted to create a new democracy-promotion agency and never moved on
it. One wonders if this is further abandonment of that promise or a step in
replacing Rights and Democracy with this new group they may still be
planning. Paul Wells looks back at some of the drama here.

Liberal MP Sean Casey was trying to be
clever and filed an order paper question, asking for the web histories of the
ministers of justice and public safety for the course of two days as a means
of demonstrating the effects of C-30. The Conservatives were trying to be equally
clever and responded with name, address, email, phone number, IP address and

service provider, which they say is all a lawful access request that C-30 would grant.

The failed Conservative candidate who ran
against Irwin Cotler and was subsequently hired by the government as an
“advisor” is no longer in his job, which means he is likely no longer operating
as a “shadow MP” in the riding.

The procedure and House affairs committee’s attempt to get to the bottom of the Anonymous threats against Vic Toews
is pretty much unable to support its own weight.

Here’s a look at the “one-man show” that
was Peter Julian’s budget speech. He finished up today to leave a whole 45
minutes to move and debate the NDP amendment and Liberal sub-amendment before
they were voted on (and, surprise, surprise, defeated).

And remember Bruce Carson? Well, it seems
like the RCMP is stepping up its investigation into his alleged influence
peddling. Just in case you had any other former Harper advisors you wanted to keep

tabs on.