OTTAWA - The Harper government has yet to hire an independent auditor to crunch the numbers on the F-35 deal, more than two months after its self-imposed deadline to clean up the stealth fighter fiasco.
Public Works quietly re-issued a tender on Wednesday, asking for an audit firm to come forward and take on the politically explosive task of verifying the figures provided by National Defence, which was accused last spring of hiding the true cost of the multi-billion dollar program.
The scathing report by auditor Michael Ferguson struck at the heart of the Conservative government's claim of being prudent fiscal managers by stating that Defence Department left out the long-term operational costs in its public estimates.
The auditor says the true lifetime expense for the multi-role fighter is expected to exceed $25 billion, far higher than the $16 billion claimed by National Defence.
Providing independently verified numbers within 60 days of Ferguson's April 3 report was a hallmark of the Harper government seven-point response.
When the deadline passed in June, both opposition parties jumped on the failure, but Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose promised an independent report would be available by the fall.
Original Article
Source: winnipeg free press
Author: The Canadian Press
Public Works quietly re-issued a tender on Wednesday, asking for an audit firm to come forward and take on the politically explosive task of verifying the figures provided by National Defence, which was accused last spring of hiding the true cost of the multi-billion dollar program.
The scathing report by auditor Michael Ferguson struck at the heart of the Conservative government's claim of being prudent fiscal managers by stating that Defence Department left out the long-term operational costs in its public estimates.
The auditor says the true lifetime expense for the multi-role fighter is expected to exceed $25 billion, far higher than the $16 billion claimed by National Defence.
Providing independently verified numbers within 60 days of Ferguson's April 3 report was a hallmark of the Harper government seven-point response.
When the deadline passed in June, both opposition parties jumped on the failure, but Public Works Minister Rona Ambrose promised an independent report would be available by the fall.
Original Article
Source: winnipeg free press
Author: The Canadian Press
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