The options include holding a competition, buying a new warplane without a competition, or purchasing an "interim" aircraft as a stop-gap measure until a future competition.
The government says the month-long exercise is critical for training Canadian fighter pilots to work alongside allies — and the planes will return to Canada immediately if they are needed.
He says the move is designed to show Canadian solidarity with NATO against Russia, which has annexed the Crimean Peninsula in Ukraine and backed pro-Russian separatist forces in that region.
The Department of National Defence will spend $36 million on new training facilities for identifying and disposing of improvised explosive devices and other explosive ordinance.
“Your dad put us in the constitution, gave us a box, but there was nothing in it. You have a chance to fill this void,” said Manitoba Métis Leader David Chartrand.