A tale of two fighter jets — and what it means for Canada's defence and place in the world

Canadians will at long last have a better idea this year which fighter jet the Liberal government intends to buy for the country’s air force.

The selection, however, will likely have more significance than simply a choice between two shining, new, expensive aircraft: the F-35 or the Gripen-E.

The decision to go with either an American or Swedish warplane is expected to say a lot about how the federal government sees Canada’s place in the world — tied to a politically shaky United States or a Europe that is determined to step out of Washington’s defence shadow.

Canada officially narrowed the field of