By Ken Pole | May 8, 2017 Estimated reading time 1 minute, 5 seconds.
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) expects to find out within the next two weeks whether it will be able to afford new fighters as well as upgrades to its search and rescue (SAR) and tactical utility helicopters.
Like other elements of the Canadian Armed Forces, the RCAF has suffered from chronic underfunding over the past few decades, and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and others have said only that “significant” budget increases can be expected.
Transport Minister Marc Garneau said May 7 on the CTV program “Question Period,” that the long-awaited Defence Policy Review will be made public “before the Prime Minister heads to NATO.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office confirmed to Skies on May 8 that the PM will depart Ottawa on May 24 for the NATO heads-of-government meeting, which begins the following day in Brussels, Belgium. After the NATO summit, he flies to Taormina, Italy, for a May 26 to 27 meeting of G7 leaders at which defence spending is expected to be discussed.
