J. Richard Wright
Special to Niagara Now/The Lake Report

Living in Niagara-on-the-Lake for the last 20 years with the U.S. border a stone’s throw away, it seems that American policies and actions have, somehow, always been immensely personal. But never more than right now.

With the U.S. president threatening to invade Canada (“annex” is merely a polite word for invade and kill people) and steal our resources and decree that we love him and everything he does, no matter how idiotic or outside the norms of civilized behaviour it is, our sense of security and comradeship has been forever altered.

Now, upon seeing how the United States treats countries such as Venezuela when it plainly desires its resources, there can be little doubt that Canada might be an additional target on Donald Trump’s radar.

After all, Canada is rich in several resources that the U.S. needs, such as oil, lumber, aluminum, hydro-electric energy and rare earth minerals. And Trump’s actions and statements demonstrate his persistent narcissistic megalomania, while his newly stated “Don Doctrine” replacing the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine signals that he feels Canada should be owned and directed by the U.S.

In fact, he has repeatedly made the statement: “I can do anything I want. I’m the president of the United States.” One has to presume that would include invading Canada to take what he wants. Perhaps even polished granite from our Canadian Precambrian Shield for his grand ballroom.

Which brings us to a pending matter that now rises in importance for our country: the choice that Canada must make between buying American Lockheed F-35 jets, or the Swedish Saab Gripen E jets to replace the aging Northrup Grumman F-18 Hornets currently deployed by our Royal Canadian Air Force.

Consider that with purchase, the U.S. still refuses to transfer the F-35 technology to Canada making us dependent on a potential invader for the viability of our defense capabilities. Further dependence on the U.S. would be that the F-35 uses a made-in-America GE power plant. And, the American fighters would, of course, be manufactured in America.

In contrast, Sweden and Saab are offering to give us all the required technology to maintain and repair our new jet fighters. In addition, it is now exploring offering a British Rolls Royce engine, further enabling Canada to avoid dependence on a General Electric engine made in the U.S. Finally, Saab is committing to manufacturing the fighters in Canada with potentially 10,000 jobs being created.

Add in other advantages, such as Gripen E’s cost of about $22,000 an hour to operate, while the F-35 costs up to $47,000 an hour to operate. Also, the Gripen E is a hardened (winter) fighter suitable for Canada’s north, with capabilities such as being able to take off and land on a 500/600-meter frozen highway, versus the F-35 requiring a full dressing room kept at 80 degrees, filled with mineral water, Dom Perignon, mixed nuts and a Swedish — talk about irony — masseuse.

After all, it’s no secret the Lockheed F-35 has been an increasingly temperamental aircraft with premature air frame cracking, arresting hooks not working and a variety of spectacular system failures. According to reports, concerns centered on its availability, maintainability and reliability. One would think that alone would be a deal-breaker.

I hope, for our collective well being, Canada makes a choice that is good for Canada and lets Donald Trump explain to the U.S. aerospace industry how his brilliant, if skewed to the point of schizophrenia, policies are doing so much to help America prosper.

J. Richard Wright is a TV, radio and print writer with three novels — “The Plan,” “Torngat” and “Final Approach Menihek” — available for sale on Amazon, or for loan at the Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library.