F-35s to cost more DND.

The Department of National Defence says it's been told the unit price of the F-35 stealth fighter will be higher than the $75 million it planned for, but the military insisted late Monday it can still deliver the program on budget.




The Pentagon, in a recent report to the U.S. Congress, outlined a laundry list of cost increases in the $382 billion US development of the advanced fighter-bomber.



"Canada is not a recipient of the report, however, as an international partner in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project, we have been advised that it forecasts an increase in production costs for the JSF Program," said a written statement released to The Canadian Press.



"Once we have an opportunity to see the details of the report, we will be able to assess how it may impact the cost of Canadian production aircraft."



The statement downplayed the impending price hike, saying "a degree of cost variation is envisaged in any program" and defence bureaucrats had built a contingency into the estimated $9-billion purchase price.



For weeks, the Harper government has insisted it will pay around $75 million for each F-35 and furiously rejected criticism from Kevin Page, the parliamentary budget officer, who estimated in March that the sticker price for the radar-evading plane would be more like $148 million apiece.



Alarmed by the uncertainty, the Liberals have promised to cancel the purchase.



The acknowledgment of the price change came as another American report suggested the cost of operating the jets could be billions of dollars more than expected.



An estimate by a Pentagon cost-analysis unit projects it will cost $915 billion to keep the U.S. fleet of 2,443 jets flying for 30 years.



The document, leaked to Bloomberg in Washington, forecasts a lifetime maintenance bill of roughly $375 million per aircraft.



Alan Williams, a former senior Canadian defence official, said the costs would be comparable for the 65 planes the Conservative government intends to purchase, starting in 2017.



Using the Pentagon numbers, the 65 planes would cost more than $24 billion to maintain over 30 years, well above Canadian government estimates.



The cost-analysis group works directly for the U.S. defence secretary and challenges the numbers and assumptions of the Pentagon's project offices. It based its projection on the operating costs of the existing fleets of F-18s, F-16s and U.S. marine corps Harrier jump jets.



Pentagon orders cost review

Much of the debate in Canada over the highly computerized planes has centred on the eye-popping purchase price and only passing attention has been paid to long-term maintenance and service, which the Conservatives have projected at no more than $7 billion over 20 years.



The parliamentary budget officer, in a report just before the Harper government was defeated, pegged service for the F-35 at $19.5 billion over 30 years or roughly $301 million per plane.



Kevin Page faced a storm of criticism from Conservatives in March for suggesting the overall program could cost taxpayers $29.3 billion, but if the new figures from the Pentagon hold, the price tag could go even higher.



"The Pentagon's new forecast represents a significant increase even over what the U.S. expected," said Williams, who is an outspoken critic of the program. "The simple fact is we just don't know how much we'll spend. It just lends more weight to the argument that we should wait."



Repeated warnings about costs spurred the F-35 project office at the Pentagon to commit last week to a sweeping review of what it will take to maintain the aircraft over the long haul.



The study, ordered by project executive officer Vice-Admiral David Venlet, will look at the design of the aircraft to try to figure out what is driving the costs into the stratosphere.



"The service chiefs look at the estimates of the maintenance cost and it makes their knees go weak," said Venlet, according to an April 22 transcript of his remarks. "There is an estimate. We know that is not the right number."



A second, separate report prepared two years ago by the U.S. naval air systems command said long-term support could hit $443 billion, but that estimate was in 2002 dollars.



Venlet said even that is too high.



Williams said there's a lot of uncertainty in the numbers because the plane is still in development and has no maintenance history.

Canadiens soldats qui sont morts sous le régime Harper.

Berry GR Davis Boneca Cpl Cpl Dinning AJ PJ MDJ. Pte Goddard NKS Capt Gomez FO Cpl Klumpenhouwer AM MCpl Leger MD Sgt Mansell MSJ Cpl Payne RJ Cpl Smith NL Pte Turner WM Lt Warren JP Cpl Wilson TJ Mcpl Woodfield BS Pte Allard JPGM Cpl Anderson J. Cpl Arnal JH Cpl Arndt RF MCpl Arnold GH Cpl Audet PY MCpl Baker JC Cpl Bartsch CD Cpl Bason CSF MCpl Beauchamp NR Cpl Blais KMN Cpl Blake C. PO2 Bobbitt C. Cpl Bouthillier J. Pte Bouzane SF Gomez NKS Goddard Pte Capt POUR Klumpenhouwer Cpl AM Leger Cplc MD Sgt Mansell MSJ Cpl Cpl Payne RJ Smith NL Pte WM Lt Turner JP Warren Wilson Cpl TJ BS Woodfield Cplc Pte Allard Anderson JPGM Cpl Cpl J. Arnal JH Cpl RF Cplc Arndt GH Cpl Arnold Audet PY Cplc Baker Bartsch JC Cpl Cpl CD Bason CSF cplc Beauchamp NR Cpl Cpl Blais KMN Blake C. PO 2 Bobbitt C. Bouthillier Cpl J. Pte Bouzane SF




Bartsch CD Cpl Bason CSF MCpl Beauchamp NR Cpl Blais KMN Cpl Blake C. PO2 Bobbitt C. Cpl Bouthillier J. Pte Bouzane SF Cpl Boyes JG Lt Boyes JJ Sgt Braun DR Cpl Brown DR WO Bulger NA Cpl Byers DRJ Pte Caswell DJ Pte Chidley GW Pte Collier BJ Pte Costall RH Pte Courcy SJG Pte Couturier JJS Cpl Crooks TKG Pte Curwin JMR Pte Cushley WJJ Pte Dallaire KYR Pte Dawe MJ Capt Diab MH Pte Dion JJ Pte Diplaros D. Pte Doyle EM MCpl Drouin JF Cpl Dubé JRM Cpl Duchesne CJTA MCpl Eades SE Sgt Eykelenboom AJ Cpl Faught J. Sgt Fitzpatrick DJ Cpl Fortin JDO Cpl Francis JC Capt Freeman MB Pte Giesebrecht K. MCpl Gillam CP Sgt Girouard RMJ CWO Gonthier JFE Pte Good BR Pte Goudreault M. Sgt Graham MA Pte Greenfield SD Pte Greenslade DR Pte Grenon AP Cpl Hamilton TJ Cpl Hayakaze MY Pte Hayes CJ Pte Horn CJ Pte Hornburg N. Cpl Ingram V. Sgt Joannette MM Cpl Jones JP Pte Karigiannis C. Sgt Keating SP Bartsch CD Bason Cpl CSF cplc Beauchamp NR Cpl Cpl Blais KMN Blake C. PO 2 Bobbitt C. Boyes Bouthillier Cpl J. Pte Bouzane SF Cpl JG Boyes Lt JJ DR Braun Sgt Cpl DR Brown WO Bulger NA Byers Cpl Pte DRJ Caswell GW DJ Chidley Pte Pte Collier Costall BJ Sdt Sdt Courcy RH SJG Couturier Pte JJS Crooks Cpl TKG Pte Pte JMR Curwin Cushley WJJ Sdt Dallaire KYR Pte Dawe MJ Capt Diplaros Dion MH Diab Pte Pte JJ D. Pte EM Doyle Cplc Drouin JF Cpl Dubé JRM Cplc Cpl Duchesne CJTA Eades SE Cpl Eykelenboom Sgt AJ Faught J. Fitzpatrick Sgt DJ Cpl Fortin JDO Cpl Francis JC MB Freeman Capt Pte Giesebrecht K. Cplc Gillam Girouard CP Sgt Adjuc RMJ Gonthier JFE Pte Goudreault Bonne Pte BR M. Greenfield Sgt Pte Graham MA SD DR Greenslade Pte Grenon Pte AP Hamilton Cpl Cpl TJ Hayakaze MON Pte Hayes CJ Horn Pte Pte Hornburg CJ N. Ingram Cpl Joannette Sgt V. MM Jones Cpl JP Karigiannis Sdt C. SP Keating Sgt



SP Cpl Keller BJ Cpl Kennedy KV Pte Klukie JJ Pte Kruse GJ Sgt Labbé EB Pte Leary RS Capt Levesque M. Pte Longtin JMSS Pte Lormand PJ Pte Lucas DJ Sgt MacNeil J. Sgt Marshall SJ Pte Massouh H. WO McCormack Z. Cpl McCully MJC Cpl McKay KT Pte McLaren MR Cpl Megeney RK Cpl Mellish FR WO Mendes ML Maj Mercier JCMM MWO Michaud CP MCpl Miller A. Pte Miok G. Sgt Mitchell RTJ Cpl Morley KI Cpl Nolan RF WO Nuttall AR Lt O'Quinn KC Cpl Ouellet J. Cpl Parker G. Col Péloquin AJ Pte Pentland PJ Pte Pépin JYFS Maj Poland BD Cpl Priede DJ MCpl Reid CJ Cpl Renaud JMGR Pte Roberge JMFG WO Roberts JB MCpl Ruckpaul RM Maj Rudd L. Pte Seggie MJA Cpl Shipway Sgt Snyder JS Capt Stachnik SH Sgt Stannix CP Cpl Starker MG Cpl Stewart AMJ MCpl Stock SJ Pte Storm AH Cpl Street TJ Pte Taylor K. Sgt Tedford DS Sgt Todd TW Pte Vernelli SF MCpl Walsh JS MCpl Wasden DRRJ Cpl Watkins LWT Pte Wiebe JV Pte Williams AE Cpl Williamson BN Pte Wilmot CW Pte Wilson MA Pte Wilson RJ WO SP Keller Cpl Cpl BJ Klukie Sdt Kennedy KV Kruse JJ Pte GJ EB Sgt Labbé Pte RS Leary Capt JMSS Longtin Levesque M. Pte Pte Lormand Lucas Pte PJ Sgt DJ Marshall MacNeil Sgt J. SJ Massouh Pte H. McCormack WO Z. Cpl McCully MJC Cpl McKay Pte McLaren KT M. Megeney RK Cpl Cpl Mellish FR WO Mendes ML Adjum Mercier JCMM Maj Michaud Miller CP Cplc A. Pte Miok Mitchell Sgt G. Morley RTJ Cpl Cpl KI Nolan RF WO Nuttall AR Lt O'Quinn KC Cpl J. Ouellet Parker Cpl G. Col Péloquin Pentland AJ Pte Pte Pépin PJ JYFS Pologne Maj BD Cplc Priede Cpl Reid DJ CJ Cpl Roberge Renaud Pte JMGR JMFG Roberts WO JB RM Ruckpaul Cplc Maj Rudd L. Pte Seggie MJA Cpl JS Shipway Sgt Snyder Capt Stachnik Sgt SH Starker Stannix CP Cpl Cpl Stewart MG AMJ Stock Cplc SJ Storm AH Pte Cpl rue Taylor Pte TJ K. DS Tedford Sgt Sgt Todd TW Pte Vernelli JS SF Walsh Cplc Cplc Wasden DRRJ Watkins Cpl LWT Pte Wiebe Williams Pte JV AE Wilmot Cpl Soldat Williamson BN CW Sdt Wilson MA WO Wilson Pte RJ











Canadian soldiers who dies under the Liberals: Les soldats canadiens qui meurt sous les libéraux:







Cpl Green R, P. Sgt Short RA, P Braun Woodfield, Cpl Murphy JB, P Nathan Smith, Cpl R Green, P. Sgt RA court, Woodfield Braun P, JB Murphy Cpl, Nathan Smith P,



Cpl Beerenfenger RC, P Macr Leger RC Beerenfenger Cpl, Leger MACR P

Canadians soldiers who have died under the harper regime.

Berry G.R. Boneca A.J. Cpl Davis P.J. Cpl Dinning M.D.J. . Pte Goddard N.K.S. Capt Gomez F.O. Cpl Klumpenhouwer A.M. MCpl Leger M.D. Sgt Mansell M.S.J. Cpl Payne R.J. Cpl Smith N.L. Pte Turner W.M. Lt Warren J.P. Cpl Wilson T.J. Mcpl Woodfield B.S. Pte Allard J.P.G.M. Cpl Anderson J. Cpl Arnal J.H. Cpl Arndt R.F. MCpl Arnold G.H. Cpl Audet P.Y. MCpl Baker J.C. Cpl Bartsch C.D. Cpl Bason C.S.F. MCpl Beauchamp N.R. Cpl Blais K.M.N. Cpl Blake C. PO2 Bobbitt C. Cpl Bouthillier J. Pte Bouzane S.F.

Bartsch C.D. Cpl Bason C.S.F. MCpl Beauchamp N.R. Cpl Blais K.M.N. Cpl Blake C. PO2 Bobbitt C. Cpl Bouthillier J. Pte Bouzane S.F. Cpl Boyes J.G. Lt Boyes J.J. Sgt Braun D.R. Cpl Brown D.R. WO Bulger N.A. Cpl Byers D.R.J. Pte Caswell D.J. Pte Chidley G.W. Pte Collier B.J. Pte Costall R.H. Pte Courcy S.J.G. Pte Couturier J.J.S. Cpl Crooks T.K.G. Pte Curwin J.M.R. Pte Cushley W.J.J. Pte Dallaire K.Y.R. Pte Dawe M.J. Capt Diab M.H. Pte Dion J.J. Pte Diplaros D. Pte Doyle E.M. MCpl Drouin J.F. Cpl Dubé J.R.M. Cpl Duchesne C.J.T.A MCpl Eades S.E. Sgt Eykelenboom A.J. Cpl Faught J. Sgt Fitzpatrick D.J. Cpl Fortin J.D.O. Cpl Francis J.C. Capt Freeman M.B. Pte Giesebrecht K. MCpl Gillam C.P. Sgt Girouard R.M.J. CWO Gonthier J.F.E. Pte Good B.R. Pte Goudreault M. Sgt Graham M.A. Pte Greenfield S.D. Pte Greenslade D.R. Pte Grenon A.P. Cpl Hamilton T.J. Cpl Hayakaze M.Y. Pte Hayes C.J. Pte Horn C.J. Pte Hornburg N. Cpl Ingram V. Sgt Joannette M.M. Cpl Jones J.P. Pte Karigiannis C. Sgt Keating S.P

S.P. Cpl Keller B.J. Cpl Kennedy K.V. Pte Klukie J.J. Pte Kruse G.J. Sgt Labbé E.B. Pte Leary R.S. Capt Levesque M. Pte Longtin J.M.S.S. Pte Lormand P.J. Pte Lucas D.J. Sgt MacNeil J. Sgt Marshall S.J. Pte Massouh H. WO McCormack Z. Cpl McCully M.J.C. Cpl McKay K.T. Pte McLaren M.R. Cpl Megeney R.K. Cpl Mellish F.R. WO Mendes M.L. Maj Mercier J.C.M.M. MWO Michaud C.P. MCpl Miller A. Pte Miok G. Sgt Mitchell R.T.J. Cpl Morley K.I. Cpl Nolan R.F. WO Nuttall A.R. Lt O'Quinn K.C. Cpl Ouellet J. Cpl Parker G. Col Péloquin A.J. Pte Pentland P.J. Pte Pépin J.Y.F.S. Maj Poland B.D. Cpl Priede D.J. MCpl Reid C.J. Cpl Renaud J.M.G.R Pte Roberge J.M.F.G. WO Roberts J.B. MCpl Ruckpaul R.M. Maj Rudd L. Pte Seggie M.J.A. Cpl Shipway Sgt Snyder J.S. Capt Stachnik S.H. Sgt Stannix C.P. Cpl Starker M.G. Cpl Stewart A.M.J. MCpl Stock S.J. Pte Storm A.H. Cpl Street T.J. Pte Taylor K. Sgt Tedford D.S. Sgt Todd T.W. Pte Vernelli S.F. MCpl Walsh J.S. MCpl Wasden D.R.R.J. Cpl Watkins L.W.T. Pte Wiebe J.V. Pte Williams A.E. Cpl Williamson B.N. Pte Wilmot C.W. Pte Wilson M.A. Pte Wilson R.J. WO





Canadian soldiers who dies under the Liberals:



Cpl Green R, P. Sgt Short R.A., P Braun Woodfield, Cpl Murphy J.B., P Nathan Smith,

Cpl Beerenfenger R.C., P Macr Leger

The Ontario Provincial Police have been called in to investigate allegations of kickbacks in a taxpayer-funded pool and hockey rink project in Gravenhurst

The Ontario Provincial Police have been called in to investigate allegations of kickbacks in a taxpayer-funded pool and hockey rink project in Gravenhurst.




Related story: Star probe- Toronto builder siphoned $1.8M from Gravenhurt project





All federal and provincial payments to the project have been frozen pending outcome of probes by both the police and government auditors.



These actions come one day after a Star investigation revealed that a Toronto builder siphoned almost $1.8 million of taxpayers’ money from a $22 million municipal project in cottage country.



Gravenhurst Mayor Paisley Donaldson and spokespersons for the federal and provincial governments said the OPP had been asked to investigate.



A police spokesperson could not be reached.



“(The OPP) are contacting me next week for details,” Donaldson said.



The Star’s research showed that the Dalton Company used a sophisticated kickback scheme to extract money from cement, steel, and other suppliers to the Gravenhurst Centennial Centre, a renovated and expanded building that will house an aquatic centre, ice rink and fitness facilities.



Subcontractors had to kick back up to 10 per cent they were paid, according to the Star’s investigation, which was based on Dalton Company documents, town of Gravenhurst records, and interviews with contractors and former Dalton officials who worked on the project. The project, paid for by federal and provincial stimulus money, and the town’s funds, is over budget and ratepayers have been told taxes will increase as a result.



Dalton has denied the allegations, and issued a brief news release Thursday saying the information presented by the Star is “inaccurate and untrue.” Dalton, a company run by two brothers, Randy and Andrew, said it has “instructed its lawyers to commence legal proceedings against” the Star.



Donaldson also said his town has hired Marshall and Murray Inc., a cost consultant, to review the entire project and provide the town with a “detailed cost estimate.”



A federal government spokesperson called the allegations “serious” and said “no federal or provincial payments on outstanding claims will be processed until the investigation is completed.” Julie Desrochers of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario said the federal government is “committed to monitoring and ensuring proper use of public funds.”



A provincial spokesperson (the federal and provincial governments equally shared a $12 million commitment to the project) said that if “these allegations prove correct, Ontario will use the available mechanisms under our Contribution Agreement to recover any funds that were misused.”



Serge LeBlanc, spokesperson for the provincial minister of infrastructure, said officials at his ministry “are taking a close look at every aspect of this project to ensure that provincial funds were used appropriately.”

backformore is Politically Activated.

FTR, I keep calling it "Shit Harper Says" at the end there... It's "Shit Harper Did". LOL




http://www.shitharperdid.ca/

http://www.youtube.com/user/ShitHarperDid/

http://www.twitter.com/shitharperdid

http://www.facebook.com/shitharperdiddotcom



http://www.youtube.com/user/itsoversteve



Rick Mercer's rant about voting:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYgwUQTSC3I



Find me elsewhere!

http://www.formspring.me/backformore

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An anti-abortion group successfully influenced a government plan to deny funding to Planned Parenthood, says a Conservative seeking re-election..

OTTAWA—An anti-abortion group successfully influenced a government plan to deny funding to Planned Parenthood, says a Conservative seeking re-election.




Brad Trost, incumbent for Saskatoon-Humboldt, addressed the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association’s annual convention on Saturday and thanked its members for their help in killing federal funding for the group.



In the speech, a recording of which was obtained by the Liberals and given to the Toronto Star and Le Devoir, Trost claims a number of parliamentary victories for the pro-life movement, including a decision to deny funding for the International Planned Parenthood Federation.



Trost said he and “many” other MPs helped spearhead efforts to round up petitions “to defund Planned Parenthood.”



“Let me just tell you, and I cannot tell you specifically how we used it, but those petitions were very, very useful and they were part of what we used to defund Planned Parenthood because it has been absolute disgrace that that organization and several others like it have been receiving one penny of Canadian taxpayers dollars,” Trost said.



The organization, which provides sexual and reproductive health programs worldwide, had applied for $18 million and had been waiting for over a year for word whether the Canadian International Development Agency would approve the grant.



“It’s pretty disappointing,” Mark Hanlon, a director with the Canadian Federation for Sexual Health, the Canadian branch of Planned Parenthood, said of Trost’s remarks.



“I take it as a warning or a message indicating that this funding isn’t going to come,” said Hanlon, noting the group has still not heard from the office of the minister of international aid, Bev Oda.



William Stairs, chief of staff in Oda’s ministerial office said in an email to the Star late Wednesday that despite Trost’s claim, no decision has yet been made on Planned Parenthood’s application because CIDA is “still reviewing the file.”



Hanlon said the umbrella organization provides the “whole gamut of reproductive health services” including counselling for HIV/AIDS patients, unplanned pregnancies, rape victims, and “access to safe abortions, and making sure they’re rare.”



Brad Trost did not respond to the Star’s queries.



Ryan Sparrow, spokesman for the national Conservative campaign, responded late Wednesday via email, and did not deny that the group had been turned down.



He said only: “We base funding decisions on the quality of the proposals we receive. We are proud of our international assistance record and we are proud of the results that have been accomplished under our Conservative government.”



CIDA had not yet responded to the Star’s questions on the Planned Parenthood’s funding applications.



Liberal incumbent Marlene Jennings said Trost’s remarks raise concerns about how influential his pro-life constituency and others would be on a Conservative government, despite Harper’s claim, repeated in this campaign, that he would not legislate away abortion rights.



Conservative officials called an urgent news conference with reporters at 1:30 a.m. in Newfoundland to distance the party from Trost’s controversial comments. Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s spokesman, Dimitri Soudas, referred to Trost as a “backbencher” and said he was mistaken to say a decision had been made not to fund International Planned Parenthood for delivery of the government's child and maternal health initiative that was announced at the G8 summit last summer.



“He’s a backbench MP who, without question, isn’t aware of the way that our program works,” he said, adding that the Conservatives would be willing to work with International Planned Parenthood and others who “focus” on the strict criteria set out in the government’s G8 initiative.



“I honestly don’t know where he got his information,” Soudas said.



Official Tory policy on abortion is neither pro-choice or pro-life, he said. It is simply a decision not to reopen the debate on abortion in Canada.

Money launderer linked to Bruce Carson Barbara Lynn Khan.

OTTAWA—A disgraced former adviser to Stephen Harper bought a home with an ex-prostitute — and convicted money launderer — before meeting the young former escort whose water sanitation company is at the centre of illegal lobbying allegations.




Bruce Carson, 65, bought a condo in downtown Ottawa with Barbara Lynn Khan, 43, who served time for money laundering and running a prostitution ring with her estranged husband in North Carolina before being deported back to Canada, public records show.



Harper asked the RCMP to investigate his friend and former adviser last month ahead of a report by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network alleging Carson was peddling his political influence to help a fledgling Ottawa-based company sell water filtration equipment to aboriginal communities. The television network then reported Carson was engaged to a 22-year-old former escort named Michele McPherson, who was a principal in the company and at one point stood to gain 20 per cent of sales.



There were already questions about how someone who had been disbarred, was twice convicted of fraud, had once filed for bankruptcy and was still in heavy debt got a job working for the prime minister. But then The Canadian Press reported earlier this week that Carson actually had a total of five convictions for fraud and had received court-ordered psychiatric treatment.



Newly discovered court records show Khan — who according to previously reported property records bought and shared a $400,000 condo with Carson in November 2009 — was one of seven people operating a prostitution ring in five different states that would advertise in pornographic magazines.



Neither Carson nor his lawyer responded to requests for comment Friday and Khan could not be reached.



“Fear and intimidation were used with customers who failed to pay or were deemed to have been too rough with the prostitutes,” Quebec Superior Court Judge Jean-Pierre Plouffe wrote in October 2004 while refusing bail to the husband, Saleemudeem Khan, who was later extradited to the U.S.



APTN reported Friday that Khan was romantically involved with Carson throughout his time working for Harper from 2006 to 2008 and then followed him to Calgary when he became the executive director of the Canadian School of Energy and Environment.



According to the report, Khan and Carson were still engaged to be married when he asked for the hand of McPherson, a former escort who he bought a home with near Kemptville, Ont., south of Ottawa last December.



Carson also bought a $484,000 home in Manotick, Ont. with his estranged wife, Janet Treasure, in 2008.





The Canadian Press reported Thursday that Carson was cleared by a low or mid-level bureaucrat without any involvement by senior security officials, Harper or his inner circle. The Privy Council Office is now reviewing its screening procedures