Canada shouldn't buy the F35. The Saab is a less capable plane, for sure, but it doesn't leave Canada (and it's defense) dependent on the US at a time when the president is openly floating the idea of "acquiring" Canada.
To clarify my thinking on this, I don't expect that we are going to end up in an air OR land war with the USA anytime soon (and honestly hope we won't). I do expect that Trump, for as long as he occupies office, is going to exploit anything and everything that he perceives as a source of leverage. If he can manufacture a pretext to force a renegotiation on maintenance, parts, software updates, and any/all other operational costs once we sign a delivery contract, then that's what he'll do.
The F35 also leaves Canada vulnerable to US policy, in as much as we're risking autonomy around any decision we make that isn't aligned with US interests, as long as we're dependent on their planes.
The very suggestion of Canada being able to defend itself without the United States is a laughable one. It's so patently ridiculous it's hard to tell if you're serious.
The strategic adversary their fighters are likely to encounter, Russia, flies propeller-driven subsonic bombers for the most part. Any modern fighter is adequate to the task.
(it's beyond the scope of the current conversation but Canada's more pressing problem is having enough pilots and getting them enough flight hours)
Well, they need to do something. Kind of silly to ask them to ask the US to defend them against the US. It might be a cakewalk, but at least they’ll have tried to stand up to a wanna-be dictator, which is more than we’re doing.
The F35 also leaves Canada vulnerable to US policy, in as much as we're risking autonomy around any decision we make that isn't aligned with US interests, as long as we're dependent on their planes.