Canadians say selecting the best fighter jet for the job matters more than jobs: Nanos

Rachel Aiello reports on what Canadians think is most important as Canada looks to procure new fighter jets from either the U.S. or Sweden.

As the Canadian government reviews its commitment to purchase American-made Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter jets, a new poll shows what Canadians think should be prioritized in procuring replacements to the aging CF-18s.

The CTV News and Nanos Research survey gauged Canadian’s views on what matters the most to them in terms of defence cooperation, in light of ongoing trade tensions with the U.S. and a pitch from Swedish manufacturer of the Gripen fighter jet, SAAB, to bring up to 10,000 manufacturing and research jobs to Canada if Ottawa adds the aircraft to its military fleet.

Asked what was most important to them, 40 per cent of those surveyed said having the fighter jet that is the best solution for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Another 28 per cent said picking the jet that generates the greatest number of Canadian jobs.

“What this shows is that if the government decides to change tact, it’s actually going to have to explain why,” said Nanos Research chief data scientist Nik Nanos.

“And it’s going to need to explain what the jobs benefit is, but most importantly, how a change in the current path will help fulfill the mission that the RCAF wants to deliver.”

Defence cooperation with Europe was the most important factor for 18 per cent of those surveyed, double the number of Canadians who said cooperation with the U.S. was key. Just two per cent said picking the lowest-cost fighter matters the most.

“For a lot of Canadians, they know that we have to spend more on defence in order to meet our NATO commitment,” Nanos said. “As a result, it’s more about the mission and creating jobs than about cost.”

The federal government’s review, and a leaked defence report revealing the F-35 scored higher than the Gripen, prompted a robust back and forth between Conservative defence critic James Bezan and Defence Minister David McGuinty at a House committee on Thursday.

“In your advice to the prime minister, did you let him know that out of 60 points the F-35 scored 57.1 or 95 per cent, and beat the Gripen in every area, on mission, performance, upgrade ability, sustainment, technical criteria, and capability delivery?” Bezan asked.

McGuinty replied indicating the review is ongoing.

“It will continue until it’s complete, and I am quite sure that the kinds of metrics you’re alluding to and referring to, will find their way into the final report,” the minister said.

Experts have said that while the F-35 may be the better choice to maintain interoperability with the Americans as part of the North American Aerospace Defence Command, a more diversified fleet that’s compatible with additional countries, could also be to Canada’s advantage.

Though, critics say as the federal Liberals continue to contemplate the composition of the RCAF’s future fleet – with no deadline set for the review – they think SAAB’s jobs offer is unrealistic.

“There is no single best jet. It depends on the missions,” said Royal Military College professor and defence economist Ugurhan Berkok.

Methodology

Nanos conducted an RDD dual frame (land- and cell-lines) hybrid telephone and online random survey of 1,009 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, between Nov. 29 and Dec. 2, 2025, as part of an omnibus survey. The margin of error for this survey is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This study was commissioned by CTV News and the research was conducted by Nanos Research.