Saab wants Canada to buy 72 Gripens and 6 GlobalEyes to fulfil promise of 12,600 jobs
CBC
The Canadian Armed Forces would need to buy 72 Gripen fighter jets and six GlobalEye surveillance aircraft for Swedish manufacturer Saab to deliver on its pledge of creating 12,600 jobs in Canada, CBC News has learned.
Government and industry sources said Saab's proposals for both aircraft are currently being studied by experts in defence matters and economic benefits in Ottawa.
Top officials from Saab said late last year that they could create about 10,000 jobs in Canada, but the exact size of the aircraft orders required to reach that number had not yet been made public.
The Swedish company's projects are being met with considerable interest within the Carney government, which is seeking to diversify Canada's source of military equipment and strengthen the industrial sector battered by tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
"The government is interested in all major projects that can not only protect Canada's security and sovereignty, but also create jobs across the country," Industry Minister Mélanie Joly told CBC News.
"We certainly can't control President Trump, but … we can control our defence investments, who we award contracts to and how we are ultimately able to create jobs in Canada. So we're going to focus on that."
Saab confirmed that the promise of 12,600 jobs is linked to the sale of Gripen and GlobalEye aircraft to Canada.
"Saab remains ready to support the government of Canada with sovereign, cutting-edge solutions for the Canadian Armed Forces that will grow domestic industry," said Simon Carroll, president of Saab Canada.
The purchase of a Gripen fleet would necessarily have an impact on Canada's plans to buy 88 American F-35 aircraft, ordered in 2022 at a cost now estimated to be more than $27 billion.
Although Canada has been reviewing the F-35 purchase since the spring, various sources say it is still too early to conclude whether Canada will reduce its order or by how much.
For now, Canada is preparing to receive 16 F-35s starting this year, and many military experts are raising questions about Canada's ability to integrate two new fighter fleets at the same time. Defence industry experts are also saying that Saab's jobs promises will need further scrutiny or explanations.
F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin says it also has significant economic benefits to offer in Canada, promising $15 billion in work if Canada maintains its full order. Discussions between the Canadian government and Lockheed Martin are ongoing, Joly said this week.
By setting up factories in Canada, Saab would produce fighter jets and surveillance aircraft for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the export market.
Ukraine has shown interest for more than 100 Gripens, while potential customers for the GlobalEye include France and Germany.
Prosecutors want a disgraced Winnipeg police constable to go to prison for seven years, after he pleaded guilty to a list of crimes including selling drugs, fixing traffic tickets and sharing a photo he took of the partially naked body of a woman who died of an overdose.
Two endangered whooping cranes found dead in fields near Saskatoon this fall tested positive for avian influenza, the first time the virus has been detected in the species’ wild bird population.
City administration is recommending Edmonton city council backtrack on some aspects of its approach to infill and cap mid-block developments at six units instead of eight.
A longtime friend has identified the victim of a suspicious death earlier this month in Saanich, B.C., as a victim of intimate partner violence.
Toronto will provide an additional $2.6 million in funding for its rent bank this year to help residents stay housed in the city, Mayor Olivia Chow says.
Health P.E.I. is pushing back against an auditor general's report that said it is overpaying a private Ontario firm for after-hours radiology services.
Ottawa police say they arrested someone on trespassing-related charges after Iran's shuttered embassy was defaced during an anti-regime protest on Monday.
Several Canada geese were found dead in the Whitby Harbour on Monday and testing will be done to determine if avian flu is to blame, according to town officials.
City of Yellowknife officials have tested drinking water in a number of facilities and found elevated lead levels in four buildings.
Prime Minister Mark Carney is headed to China to try to move past years of diplomatic tension and make progress on a key trade irritant — Canada's steep tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and the agricultural levies China imposed in response.
A woman is recovering after an altercation with a man in Calgary’s northwest that resulted in his death in what police are calling “the most clear-cut case of self-defence.”
Alberta's chief medical officer of health says while it's far from over, the province appears to be through the worst of a bad flu season.
Durham Regional Police Services (DRPS) pushes back on some members’ PTSD claims, even if they have a medical diagnosis, a CBC News investigation has found.