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OTTAWA — The Department of National Defence has identified delays in more than 100 planned military purchases and facility upgrades, most of which have largely flown under the radar.
Some of the schedule setbacks are significant, with the delivery dates for new or upgraded military equipment pushed several years into the future.
More than half the 117 delays relate to work on infrastructure projects on military bases around the country, including a number of health facilities, maintenance and storage hangars, armouries and ammunition depots.
The list was produced by the Defence Department and recently tabled in the House of Commons in response to a request from the Opposition Conservatives.
Troy Crosbie, the Department of National Defence’s head of procurement, acknowledges in an interview that federal officials have to get better at setting “predictable” schedules when it comes to purchasing new equipment,
Yet he also argues that much of the public and political frustration around the procurement system is the result of unrealistic expectations.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 5, 2020.
The Canadian Press
