In 1993, Canada’s Liberal Party cancelled an order to replace the navy’s Sea King helicopter. It claimed that the Tory plan was too expensive, but the cancellation itself actually cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Aaron Plamondon connects this incident to the larger evolution of defence procurement in Canada, revealing that partisan politics, rather than a desire to increase the military’s capabilities, have driven the military procurement process. This saga of the government playing havoc with weapons acquisition offers an explanation for, and clues for resolving, the under-equipped state of Canada’s military.

Aaron Plamondon's profile page

• Winner, John Lyman Prize for Canadian Naval and Maritime History, North American Society for Oceanic History

Aaron Plamondon teaches Canadian and military history at the University of Calgary and Mount Royal University. He is also a National Fellow at the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

The Politics of Procurement is well written, painstakingly researched, and definitely not to be taken lightly.

Canadian Military Journal, Vol 11, No 2, Spring 2011