Canada's secretary of state for defence procurement, Stephen Fuhr, said he doesn't think the federal government plans to get out of its contract to buy American-made F-35 fighter jets as 16 planes are currently being manufactured.

"I don't think that's the direction we're heading," Fuhr said in an interview on CBC's when asked if it's possible for Ottawa to exit the contract after getting the 16 jets. "But there'll be a decision and we'll make it when we're ready."

A spokesperson for Fuhr later clarified to CBC News he was referring to the 16 jets under contract, not the entire fleet. The Liberal government signalled its intent in 2023 to purchase 88 F-35 jets from U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin.

After rising trade tensions with the United States, then-defence minister Bill Blair s

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