The Department of National Defence recently received quiet approval to spend $7 billion on 16 F-35 fighter jets and related gear.
Two defence sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters not yet made public, said a funding request sent to the Treasury Board got the green light earlier this month.
The Canadian Press also viewed a document summarizing this request to Treasury Board, which is the department that controls the federal purse strings, and independently verified its accuracy.
The funding approval came after months of negotiations with the U.S. government and Lockheed Martin after the F-35 beat out Sweden’s Saab Gripen in a competition earlier this year….