The figure was revealed by Defence Minister Peter MacKay in awritten response to an opposition question. Liberal defence critic John McKay wanted details about the event,which saw Mr. MacKay, Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose andTreasury Board President Tony Clement pose with a fake F-35 builtby manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The response shows Lockheed Martin offered up the model andtransported it to Ottawa via flatbed transport truck at nocharge.
The money was well spent, Mr. Clement said Tuesday after QuestionPeriod. We have an obligation to communicate our decisions, he said. We decided to give a visual portrayal of what we were talkingabout.
We had over 100 stakeholders who were there, who wereinvited because they are experts in the field of the fighter jets.I don t think we have to make any apologies about that. Jay Paxton, a spokesman for the defence minister, says almost halfof the $47,313 spent by National Defence went to the audio-visualcompany that helped stage the event. He says the expense was necessary because the news conferenceinvolved a number of national media outlets, as well as more than100 invited guests. Ambrose turned aside questions on Monday, saying the event wasn tsomething that involved her department. Outdoor Led Flood Lights
I m not aware of the cost of the actual announcement, but Iwould ask the Department of National Defence, Ms. Ambrose said. I m not sure what went into the announcements in terms oftechnical requirements for that day or if there were stakeholdersthat participated. Mr. MacKay is out of the country at a defence conference in the FarEast and it was left to Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantinoto defend the photo-op in the House of Commons. China Flexible Led Strip Lights
The announcement to replace Canada s aging fleet of CF-18s wasconsidered significant and necessary to ensure public, media andindustry awareness, he said. The cost of this announcement hasbeen reported in many ways, including previous responses to writtenquestions. Since coming to power in 2006, the Conservatives have usedParliament s down time in the summer to focus the spotlight on one sometimes two announceables related to the Canadianmilitary. Critics have dismissed them as a publicity stunts designed to limitpointed opposition and public questions. High Power Led Floodlight
The news from the July 16, 2010, event was only that the governmentintended to pursue a deal to purchase the advanced fighter-bomber,not that a contract had been reached. Mr. McKay said he wonderedhow such news could justify the expense. The resulting photos and news footage, which showed the ministersitting in the cockpit of the plane, have been resurrectedvirtually every time the F-35 makes news. That s one expensive photo, the Liberals say.
I think in the military they call it the hero shot, Mr. McKaysaid. This was 47-grand for the minister to park his posterior inthe airplane and smile for cameras. It came at the same time the Conservatives were taking heat forspending $2-million on a fake lake to serve as a backdrop at theG8/G20 Summit media centre in Toronto.
If you can go fake lakes and fake airplanes, then the[communications] message becomes everything and in this case withthe F-35 the photo-op was the message, Mr. McKay said. It speaks to the larger issue of the absolute cynicism andcontempt that this government has for the Parliament of Canada,members of Parliament and the people of Canada. Before coming to power, the Conservatives habitually criticized theLiberals under Paul Martin for their government by photo-op style. New Democrats seized on the revelation and used it to accuse thegovernment of being more interested in political optics thanactually delivering equipment to the military.
We ve got billions in procurement mismanagement, tens ofthousands squandered on a photo-op and the whole defence plan nowback to the drawing board, NDP defence critic Jack Harris said,referring to news earlier this week that the Conservatives arere-drafting a list of planned military purchases. News of the cost comes as the government is taking fire forattempting to shut down a House of Commons committee investigationinto the Auditor-General s criticism of the stealth fighterarrangement. The public accounts committee has heard testimony fromAuditor-General Michael Ferguson, Parliamentary Budget OfficerKevin Page and a parade of senior officials, including the deputyminister of defence and the head of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In his April 3 report, Mr. Ferguson tore a strip off NationalDefence and Public Works, accusing them of hiding the full cost ofthe multibillion-dollar plan and not following proper procedures.
Behind closed doors, Conservative members of the committee haveapparently put forward a motion to begin writing their report, eventhough Mr. MacKay, Ms. Ambrose and Associate Defence MinisterJulian Fantino have yet to testify. More Related to this Story Oversight Auditor-General hits back at critics, defends scathing F-35 report Spin-offs Ottawa tells aerospace industry not to stir the pot on F-35s Recalculation Countdown begins as Ottawa 'Canadianizes' F-35 figures.
The money was well spent, Mr. Clement said Tuesday after QuestionPeriod. We have an obligation to communicate our decisions, he said. We decided to give a visual portrayal of what we were talkingabout.
We had over 100 stakeholders who were there, who wereinvited because they are experts in the field of the fighter jets.I don t think we have to make any apologies about that. Jay Paxton, a spokesman for the defence minister, says almost halfof the $47,313 spent by National Defence went to the audio-visualcompany that helped stage the event. He says the expense was necessary because the news conferenceinvolved a number of national media outlets, as well as more than100 invited guests. Ambrose turned aside questions on Monday, saying the event wasn tsomething that involved her department. Outdoor Led Flood Lights
I m not aware of the cost of the actual announcement, but Iwould ask the Department of National Defence, Ms. Ambrose said. I m not sure what went into the announcements in terms oftechnical requirements for that day or if there were stakeholdersthat participated. Mr. MacKay is out of the country at a defence conference in the FarEast and it was left to Associate Defence Minister Julian Fantinoto defend the photo-op in the House of Commons. China Flexible Led Strip Lights
The announcement to replace Canada s aging fleet of CF-18s wasconsidered significant and necessary to ensure public, media andindustry awareness, he said. The cost of this announcement hasbeen reported in many ways, including previous responses to writtenquestions. Since coming to power in 2006, the Conservatives have usedParliament s down time in the summer to focus the spotlight on one sometimes two announceables related to the Canadianmilitary. Critics have dismissed them as a publicity stunts designed to limitpointed opposition and public questions. High Power Led Floodlight
The news from the July 16, 2010, event was only that the governmentintended to pursue a deal to purchase the advanced fighter-bomber,not that a contract had been reached. Mr. McKay said he wonderedhow such news could justify the expense. The resulting photos and news footage, which showed the ministersitting in the cockpit of the plane, have been resurrectedvirtually every time the F-35 makes news. That s one expensive photo, the Liberals say.
I think in the military they call it the hero shot, Mr. McKaysaid. This was 47-grand for the minister to park his posterior inthe airplane and smile for cameras. It came at the same time the Conservatives were taking heat forspending $2-million on a fake lake to serve as a backdrop at theG8/G20 Summit media centre in Toronto.
If you can go fake lakes and fake airplanes, then the[communications] message becomes everything and in this case withthe F-35 the photo-op was the message, Mr. McKay said. It speaks to the larger issue of the absolute cynicism andcontempt that this government has for the Parliament of Canada,members of Parliament and the people of Canada. Before coming to power, the Conservatives habitually criticized theLiberals under Paul Martin for their government by photo-op style. New Democrats seized on the revelation and used it to accuse thegovernment of being more interested in political optics thanactually delivering equipment to the military.
We ve got billions in procurement mismanagement, tens ofthousands squandered on a photo-op and the whole defence plan nowback to the drawing board, NDP defence critic Jack Harris said,referring to news earlier this week that the Conservatives arere-drafting a list of planned military purchases. News of the cost comes as the government is taking fire forattempting to shut down a House of Commons committee investigationinto the Auditor-General s criticism of the stealth fighterarrangement. The public accounts committee has heard testimony fromAuditor-General Michael Ferguson, Parliamentary Budget OfficerKevin Page and a parade of senior officials, including the deputyminister of defence and the head of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In his April 3 report, Mr. Ferguson tore a strip off NationalDefence and Public Works, accusing them of hiding the full cost ofthe multibillion-dollar plan and not following proper procedures.
Behind closed doors, Conservative members of the committee haveapparently put forward a motion to begin writing their report, eventhough Mr. MacKay, Ms. Ambrose and Associate Defence MinisterJulian Fantino have yet to testify. More Related to this Story Oversight Auditor-General hits back at critics, defends scathing F-35 report Spin-offs Ottawa tells aerospace industry not to stir the pot on F-35s Recalculation Countdown begins as Ottawa 'Canadianizes' F-35 figures.