- Reaction score
- 6,467
- Points
- 1,360
http://www.torontosun.com/News/Canada/2006/04/02/1516427-sun.html
Sun, April 2, 2006
Defence giants target Tories
By STEPHANIE RUBEC, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER
OTTAWA -- Armed with dirt on their rivals, the world's largest defence firms are converging on Ottawa this week in anticipation of a flood of billion-dollar federal contracts under the new Conservative government.
Aerospace and trucking giants papered Parliament Hill with rumours and innuendo in the lead-up to a massive trade show this week in an effort to sully their competitors.
The hottest contracts up for grabs will provide replacements for the ancient Hercules transport fleet, army vehicles and search-and-rescue aircraft.
Paul Martin's Liberals inked a $12.2-billion deal shortly before the federal election to fast-track the purchase of tactical choppers, fixed-wing planes and selected Hercules' new C-130J to replace Canada's older fleet.
However, both Boeing and Airbus have torqued up their lobbying efforts in hopes the Conservatives will rip up the deal for the C-130J.
And Boeing is flying a huge C-17 to Ottawa Tuesday in an effort to convince Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the Canadian Forces need heavy lifting capabilities.
Military firms are banking on the Conservative election platform which promised to fast track the replacement of rusting military equipment and boost the size of the Canadian Forces.
Harper's Conservatives have pledged to hike military spending by $5.3 billion over the next five years and pump some of that money into bases and military housing, hire 23,000 more soldiers and buy big-ticket items such as ice breakers for Canada's North.
Sun, April 2, 2006
Defence giants target Tories
By STEPHANIE RUBEC, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER
OTTAWA -- Armed with dirt on their rivals, the world's largest defence firms are converging on Ottawa this week in anticipation of a flood of billion-dollar federal contracts under the new Conservative government.
Aerospace and trucking giants papered Parliament Hill with rumours and innuendo in the lead-up to a massive trade show this week in an effort to sully their competitors.
The hottest contracts up for grabs will provide replacements for the ancient Hercules transport fleet, army vehicles and search-and-rescue aircraft.
Paul Martin's Liberals inked a $12.2-billion deal shortly before the federal election to fast-track the purchase of tactical choppers, fixed-wing planes and selected Hercules' new C-130J to replace Canada's older fleet.
However, both Boeing and Airbus have torqued up their lobbying efforts in hopes the Conservatives will rip up the deal for the C-130J.
And Boeing is flying a huge C-17 to Ottawa Tuesday in an effort to convince Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the Canadian Forces need heavy lifting capabilities.
Military firms are banking on the Conservative election platform which promised to fast track the replacement of rusting military equipment and boost the size of the Canadian Forces.
Harper's Conservatives have pledged to hike military spending by $5.3 billion over the next five years and pump some of that money into bases and military housing, hire 23,000 more soldiers and buy big-ticket items such as ice breakers for Canada's North.
