Canadian military won't release records discussing RCAF commander’s F-35 photo

RCAF Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet travelled to Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth, Texas, facility on Feb. 2 for a ceremony to mark a production milestone for Canada's first F-35. CANADIAN FORCES PHOTO

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Documents discussing a photo of the air force’s top officer signing the fuselage of Canada’s first F-35 are cloaked in secrecy with the Canadian military refusing to release the records.

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Canada’s purchase of American-built F-35 fighter jets has become highly controversial in the midst of deteriorating relations between the two nations.

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Royal Canadian Air Force generals have advocated for buying the planes, and further integrating and co-operating more with the U.S. military even as President Donald Trump threatens to economically cripple Canada and eventually annex this country.

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While Canada has committed to purchasing 16 F-35s, Prime Minister Mark Carney initiated a review of whether to purchase a remaining 72 jets the RCAF wants.

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In February, RCAF commander Lt.-Gen. Jamie Speiser-Blanchet travelled to the F-35 assembly facility in Fort Worth, Texas, for a ceremony to mark a production milestone for Canada’s first F-35. During the event, Speiser-Blanchet was photographed signing the fuselage bulkhead to be installed on the jet.

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Usually such a ceremony would be worthy of publicity by both F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the Canadian Forces.

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But the Canadian military refused to release an original photo of the signing event and is now refusing to release records, requested under the Access to Information Act, regarding its internal discussions on the decision to suppress the image. The Ottawa Citizen filed that request on April 24. The newspaper has filed a complaint to the Information Commissioner of Canada about the military decision to withhold the records.

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Shannon Clark Larkin, the executive director of the Department of National Defence’s access-to-information branch, did not respond to a request for comment.

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A DND source said the military is not keen on revealing records that show their behind-the-scenes advocacy for the F-35. The Ottawa Citizen is not naming the source as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

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The Ottawa Citizen also submitted an access-to-information request for the original photo of Speiser-Blanchet signing the F-35 fuselage. But DND refused to release that as well, instead providing a grainy photocopy of the image earlier this year.

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There is no word on when Carney will make a decision on whether to purchase the remaining F-35s. But his review has angered the Trump administration and the U.S. has warned Canada it could face dire consequences if it didn’t buy more F-35s. The deal to purchase the fleet of F-35s would cost taxpayers around $27 billion. Another $5.5 billion will be needed to achieve full operation capability for the planes, according to a report from the Auditor General.

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Carney is also considering whether to act on a proposal to purchase Swedish Gripen fighter jets. Gripen manufacturer Saab has proposed building the jets in Canada, a move it says would create a large number of high-tech jobs and provide significant industrial benefits.