Military procurement officials hopeful years of troubles finally behind them
OTTAWA — For anyone hoping the Liberal government plans to blow up Canada’s much-maligned military procurement system, Patrick Finn has some advice: Don’t hold your breath.
Finn is the Defence Department official responsible for overseeing the $6-billion-per-year procurement system, which has been criticized far and wide in recent years over a perceived failure to deliver critical military equipment.
The problems have been blamed on poor planning, red tape and internal bickering, which has tied up efforts to buy new aircraft, naval ships and other equipment.
There were expectations that the Liberal government would finally start to unravel the problem with its new defence policy last month, which promised an extra $62 billion for the military over the next 20 years.