Posted on 07/04/2026 9:41:12 AM PDT by jerod
Highly ill-advised' card comes amid tension over military procurement
Amid the ongoing review of Canada's fighter jet procurement, a federal public servant has been rebuked for distributing a custom-made business card featuring two Lockheed Martin F-35s at a recent military trade show.
According to federal guidelines, all government business cards must follow a standardized template, with a Canadian flag as the sole illustration.
The card used by Crista-lynn Ferguson at the Ottawa conference included more than her email, phone numbers and title as director general of fighter capability at the Department of National Defence (DND).
Its front featured a metallic logo showing the outlines of an F-35 and a CF-18. On the back, there was a photograph of two American F-35s in the foreground flying alongside two Canadian CF-18s during a joint training mission.
"The card in question was not produced in accordance with the [department's] standardized business card production process," said DND spokesperson Kened Sadiku.
Ferguson would be asked to stop using the card, he added.
Canada has begun the acquisition process for F-35s and is preparing to take delivery of its first aircraft later this year, a process that is part of Ferguson’s responsibilities.
The government submitted the fighter acquisition program to a review last year and the file is particularly charged, given diplomatic and economic tensions between Canada and the United States.
Distributing a custom-made business card is "highly ill-advised" given the sensitivities surrounding the F-35 file, said Geneviève Tellier, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Ottawa.
"The primary duty of public servants is neutrality, so they must not show any appearance of bias or conflict of interest," Tellier said. "Here, it gives the impression of someone showing a preference."
'This is what we’re buying'
On the other hand, military analyst Richard Shimooka said Ferguson is simply working to implement the government’s decision to acquire F-35 fighter jets.
“This is what we’re buying,” said Shimooka, the senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. “The military is very proud of its capabilities, what it does and the systems it uses. And to some degree, this [business card] kind of reflects that.”
According to DND, Ferguson put the photo of the F-35s and CF-18s on her business card to reflect her role within government to "modernize Canada's fighter capability."
"The intention was not to communicate a position on the F-35 review or any other related government decision-making process," said Sadiku.
Reached by email, Ferguson said she had nothing to add...
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As for the DND employee... I say... 'Not Guilty'.
DND? Dungeons and Dragons?
Canada is pivoting away from the F-35 and going with the Swedish Saab JAS 39 Gripen. Because Mark Carney hates President Trump and is looking to increase relations with Red China and Europe over the US.
They have rules everyone is aware of. She broke them, shes a big girl, she should take the consequences, if there are any.
Canada has a Department of National Defense? Who knew?
I always thought their defense strategy was dial 202-456-1414.
She put the whole Canadian Air Force on the card.
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