The Globe and Mail reports in its Wednesday edition that Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne will not say whether the process to replace a fleet of aging military patrol planes will be an open-source bid, as Bombardier and the heads of Canada's two biggest provinces urge him to "level the playing field." A Canadian Press dispatch to The Globe says that on Tuesday, Mr. Champagne told reporters the federal government has so far steered clear of a determination on whether Montreal-based Bombardier will have a chance to submit a tender on new reconnaissance aircraft. "There is no decision made," Mr. Champagne said in French. "In military acquisitions, it is rarely very, very fast. It's complex, too." Considerations include cost, availability and capability. For months, Bombardier has been pushing Ottawa to put out a request for proposals as he promotes the company's still non-existent surveillance plane over a Boeing alternative -- the apparent front-runner. Bombardier joined earlier this year with U.S.-based General Dynamics on a patrol aircraft, a modified version of its Global 6500 business jet with submarine-hunting technology. Canada's 14 CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol planes are set to retire in 2030.