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February 11, 2002
Grit MP joins helicopter backlash
Process too 'slow': Volpe urges buying 'Cadillac' model Chré'©en rejected
Mike Blanchfield, Ottawa Citizen
MP Joe Volpe says the Cormorant helicopter is already proven with the military.
OTTAWA - A Liberal backbencher has broken ranks with the government and criticized the eight-year delay in replacing Canada's ageing fleet of Sea King helicopters, saying the government should buy the same ''Cadillac'' helicopter Jean ChrŽtien rejected in 1993.
''I think the process is going unnecessarily slow,'' Toronto-area MP Joe Volpe said in an interview.
''It's important to note we've got a company that's delivered and is capable of delivering a quality product. A product that the military appreciates, search and rescue appreciates, Canadians appreciate. There's no reason why we should spend any time looking elsewhere.''
Mr. Volpe was referring to the the EH-101 Cormorant helicopter, which the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney had agreed to buy to replace the Navy's fleet of 1960s-era, ship-borne Sea Kings and the fleet of search-and-rescue Labrador helicopters.
The Prime Minister labelled the Cormorant a ''Cadillac'' and a waste of taxpayers' money during the 1993 federal election campaign, promising to cancel the $5.8-billion deal if elected.
Mr. ChrŽtien followed through and tore up the EH-101 contract, his first act as prime minister, a decision that resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties.
Since then, opposition politicians, senators, and aerospace industry players have accused the ChrŽtien Liberals of playing politics with the lives of navy aircrews they say are forced to fly an aircraft well past its expiry date and prone to mechanical failures.
They accuse the Liberals of trying to rig the bidding process to ensure that Team Cormorant, an English-Italian consortium, does not win the Sea King replacement contract. If Cormorant won, it would call into question exactly what Mr. ChrŽtien had achieved by cancelling the deal in the first place.
Though some MPs have grumbled privately about the Sea King delay, Mr. Volpe is the first member of the Liberal caucus to publicly break ranks over the issue.
Mr. Volpe, who has represented Toronto's Eglinton-Lawrence riding since 1988, stopped short of accusing his government of political meddling. ''I can only speculate, so I won't. But I just think it's going too slow,'' he said.
The government announced in August, 2000, that it intended to buy 28 new navy helicopters for $2.9-billion, and that it would split the contract between two successful candidates -- one to supply the airframe, and one the high-tech mission systems.
What the government did not tell the public was that its own advisors estimated that splitting the helicopter contract would add an extra $400-million to the overall cost.
Along with Cormorant, two other international helicopter consortiums are the top contenders for the contract: U.S.-based Sikorsky, the builder of the original Sea King, and the French-German Eurocopter.
At one time or another, all three companies have complained that the Liberals' tendering process is flawed and discriminates against them.
Another 10 companies are vying for the on-board high-tech systems portion of the contract.
The government has publicly defended splitting the contract, saying it will give more companies, including Canadian high-tech firms, a chance to take part in the bidding.
In 1998, the Liberals awarded the search-and-rescue component of the contract to Team Cormorant, which delivered the first of its EH-101 search and rescue helicopters last fall. The government is already a year behind schedule in calling for a request for proposals for the Sea King replacement.
Critics say Mr. ChrŽtien is loath to see Cormorant sweep the helicopter competition by winning the Sea King portion of the contract.
Mr. Volpe said the split procurement is causing unnecessary delays. He dismissed the government's argument that widening the field of competitors is a good strategy.
He also said the government should take into account the long-term savings that could result in having the same helicopters replace both the Sea Kings and the Labradors.
''Unless we have manufacturing facilities in this country, there's no reason for us to think in terms of trying to spread the wealth to other places,'' said Mr. Volpe.
None of the three of the main helicopter builders has plans to build its Sea King replacement in Canada. Mr. Volpe suggested the Cormorant is probably the best helicopter available for the Navy.
''That company made a commitment and did deliver on the commitment. Let's go to the bid process,'' he said.
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Grit MP joins helicopter backlash
Process too 'slow': Volpe urges buying 'Cadillac' model Chré'©en rejected
Mike Blanchfield, Ottawa Citizen
MP Joe Volpe says the Cormorant helicopter is already proven with the military.
OTTAWA - A Liberal backbencher has broken ranks with the government and criticized the eight-year delay in replacing Canada's ageing fleet of Sea King helicopters, saying the government should buy the same ''Cadillac'' helicopter Jean ChrŽtien rejected in 1993.
''I think the process is going unnecessarily slow,'' Toronto-area MP Joe Volpe said in an interview.
''It's important to note we've got a company that's delivered and is capable of delivering a quality product. A product that the military appreciates, search and rescue appreciates, Canadians appreciate. There's no reason why we should spend any time looking elsewhere.''
Mr. Volpe was referring to the the EH-101 Cormorant helicopter, which the Conservative government of Brian Mulroney had agreed to buy to replace the Navy's fleet of 1960s-era, ship-borne Sea Kings and the fleet of search-and-rescue Labrador helicopters.
The Prime Minister labelled the Cormorant a ''Cadillac'' and a waste of taxpayers' money during the 1993 federal election campaign, promising to cancel the $5.8-billion deal if elected.
Mr. ChrŽtien followed through and tore up the EH-101 contract, his first act as prime minister, a decision that resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in penalties.
Since then, opposition politicians, senators, and aerospace industry players have accused the ChrŽtien Liberals of playing politics with the lives of navy aircrews they say are forced to fly an aircraft well past its expiry date and prone to mechanical failures.
They accuse the Liberals of trying to rig the bidding process to ensure that Team Cormorant, an English-Italian consortium, does not win the Sea King replacement contract. If Cormorant won, it would call into question exactly what Mr. ChrŽtien had achieved by cancelling the deal in the first place.
Though some MPs have grumbled privately about the Sea King delay, Mr. Volpe is the first member of the Liberal caucus to publicly break ranks over the issue.
Mr. Volpe, who has represented Toronto's Eglinton-Lawrence riding since 1988, stopped short of accusing his government of political meddling. ''I can only speculate, so I won't. But I just think it's going too slow,'' he said.
The government announced in August, 2000, that it intended to buy 28 new navy helicopters for $2.9-billion, and that it would split the contract between two successful candidates -- one to supply the airframe, and one the high-tech mission systems.
What the government did not tell the public was that its own advisors estimated that splitting the helicopter contract would add an extra $400-million to the overall cost.
Along with Cormorant, two other international helicopter consortiums are the top contenders for the contract: U.S.-based Sikorsky, the builder of the original Sea King, and the French-German Eurocopter.
At one time or another, all three companies have complained that the Liberals' tendering process is flawed and discriminates against them.
Another 10 companies are vying for the on-board high-tech systems portion of the contract.
The government has publicly defended splitting the contract, saying it will give more companies, including Canadian high-tech firms, a chance to take part in the bidding.
In 1998, the Liberals awarded the search-and-rescue component of the contract to Team Cormorant, which delivered the first of its EH-101 search and rescue helicopters last fall. The government is already a year behind schedule in calling for a request for proposals for the Sea King replacement.
Critics say Mr. ChrŽtien is loath to see Cormorant sweep the helicopter competition by winning the Sea King portion of the contract.
Mr. Volpe said the split procurement is causing unnecessary delays. He dismissed the government's argument that widening the field of competitors is a good strategy.
He also said the government should take into account the long-term savings that could result in having the same helicopters replace both the Sea Kings and the Labradors.
''Unless we have manufacturing facilities in this country, there's no reason for us to think in terms of trying to spread the wealth to other places,'' said Mr. Volpe.
None of the three of the main helicopter builders has plans to build its Sea King replacement in Canada. Mr. Volpe suggested the Cormorant is probably the best helicopter available for the Navy.
''That company made a commitment and did deliver on the commitment. Let's go to the bid process,'' he said.
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