F-35 jets cost to soar to $29 billion: watchdog

CBC:

The total cost of the Conservative government's plan to purchase 65 F-35 fighter jets over 30 years is close to $29.3 billion — billions more than previously estimated, according to Parliament's budget watchdog.

The pricetag includes both the purchase price and long-term sustainment costs for the jets. "Total ownership" of the program had previously been estimated at $16 to $18 billion.

Parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page, who has cast doubt before on the government's accounting practices, was asked by the Liberal Opposition to look at the F-35 deal with U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin.

Previous reports by Page have questioned the government's deficit projections and its plan to cut the size and cost of the federal bureaucracy.

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