Europeans complain about Canadian contract favouring U.S. military suppliers
The federal government is facing criticism over a planned defence contract that one European competitor says effectively guarantees the deal will go to a U.S. supplier.
The federal government is facing criticism over a planned defence contract that one European competitor says effectively guarantees the deal will go to a U.S. supplier, despite Prime Minister Mark Carney’s pledge to reduce Canada’s defence dependence on the United States.
A single U.S.-based firm is expected to be the sole eligible supplier for a Department of National Defence contract for night-vision binoculars, estimated to exceed $100 million. Industry observers point out that the technical requirements, specifically the signal-to-noise ratio, would restrict the bidding to this one company. The contract is anticipated to be awarded this week.