The report comes after the federal government’s internal 2021 scorecard, revealing the topline totals from the analysis, was leaked to Radio-Canada in the fall. That document shows the American F-35 blowing the Swedish Gripen out of the water, with the F-35 scoring 95 per cent on overall military capabilities while the Gripen scored just 33 per cent. “We can confirm that Saab met or exceeded all of the stringent requirements for capability, interoperability and security set out in the Canadian fighter evaluation in 2021,” Fullerton said in an emailed statement. Alex McColl, who wrote his 2018 master’s thesis calling for Canada to buy a Gripen fleet, said the partial leak of the scoring doesn’t tell the full story. The Conservatives want the Carney government to push ahead with the full F-35 fleet order, while the NDP has argued for scrapping the contract entirely and opting for the Saab jets.

Source: CBC News March 01, 2026 17:35 UTC