Auditor’s report reveals key players in F-35 saga

OTT AWA – Auditor General Michael Ferguson’s scathing report on the F-35 has put a rare spotlight on the coterie of senior officials — both civilian and military — who have been central to Canada’s involvement in the troubled stealth fighter jet program over the years.

The list includes a former general now responsible for providing civilian oversight of military purchases, several former fighter pilots and a top official at the Public Works Department who previously managed communications at National Defence.

On Thursday, Ferguson will appear before a parliamentary committee to answer questions, and Liberal MP Gerry Byrne will attempt to call the bureaucrats involved in F-35 procurement to testify at a future meeting. They include: ❚ Dan Ross, assistant deputy minister of matériel at the Department of National Defence: One of the most powerful bureaucrats in Ottawa, Ross is a retired general turned civilian charged with ensuring the military gets the equipment it needs at an affordable price. He has held his current position since 2005, during which time the number of military purchases made without a competitive process has increased. Ross would have been involved in most if not all key briefings and meetings leading up to the government’s decision to purchase the F-35. ❚ Michael Slack, F-35 project manager and director of continental matériel co-operation at the Department of National Defence: Another civilian, Slack has been involved in the F-35 project since 1997. He is both the Defence Department’s main point-person on the F-35 and its chief official on ensuring military industrial co-operation with the United States. He has had numerous meetings with representatives from Lockheed Martin, the company behind the F-35, and highlighted the stealth fighter’s capabilities and benefits to Canadian industry in media interviews while downplaying concerns about cost increases. ❚ Lt.-gen. Andre Deschamps, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force: A fighter pilot, Deschamps was appointed head of the air force in October 2009. This is around the time the military, under pressure from industry, was pressing the government to commit to the F-35, according to Ferguson’s report. The report also says Deschamps signed an important document laying out the military’s requirements for a new fighter jet only after the government had announced it would purchase 65 F-35s in July 2010. The report does not explain the delay. ❚ Col. Dave Burt, director of the Next Generation Fighter Capability Office, Department of National Defence: Another fighter pilot, Burt began working on the military’s effort to replace its aging fleet of CF-18S in 1998. He was promoted in 2001 to serve for an unprecedented six years as the officer responsible for defining the military’s requirements for its next fighter jet — a process that raised concerns with the auditor general. ❚ Tom Ring, assistant deputy minister of acquisitions, Public Works and Government Services Canada: As head of acquisitions, Ring would have been responsible for ensuring the government followed proper procedures for obtaining the F-35.