Canadian companies with a stake in the F-35 jet program say abandoning plans to buy the oft-maligned stealth fighter would put contracts and jobs in danger.

The Canadian Joint Industry Group says existing "opportunities and future technological advancements will be in jeopardy" if the plan to buy 65 F-35 fighters is scrubbed.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau has said if he is elected, he would scrap the multibillion-dollar program and opt for a less expensive jetfighter to replace the country's aging CF-18s.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper says that would "crater" the aerospace industry.

The group insists state-of-the-art manufacturing expertise would be lost to wider Canadian industry because the stealth fighter is full of advanced technology.

Faced with the prospect of losing votes in Quebec, Tom Mulcair is digging in on his position that women should have a right to wear a veil at citizenship ceremonies.

The NDP leader fielded more questions Friday about the delicate subject, one day after he clashed with his rivals over the issue during the French-language leaders' debate.

The issue is particularly tricky for Mulcair, whose support is based in Quebec.

The province is home to many who back Conservative and Bloc Quebecois calls to bar women from wearing the Islamic niqab when they swear the citizenship oath.

The question, however, also appears to resonate beyond Quebec. A recent government-funded poll suggested there's wide support across Canada for a ban on veils during the ceremonies.

Mulcair was asked Friday whether he might regret being on the wrong side of public opinion if it ultimately prevented him from becoming prime minister.

"I've taken positions in my life that weren't immediately appreciated -- I'm willing to live with that," Mulcair said at a news conference northwest of Quebec City, where he committed to spend $105 million over three years to bolster the struggling forestry sector.

"But I also respect other people's views, but I'm going to continue to make the point that we live in a society where we're lucky enough to have individual rights -- and you either believe in those rights, which is my case, or you find a way around them.

"I'm going to continue to believe in those rights."

In an effort to smooth relations with Mexico, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau promised Friday to remove visa requirements for Mexican citizens coming to Canada.

The subject has been a sore point between the two countries since the Conservative government imposed the visa in 2009 after a sharp increase in the numbers of Mexican asylum seekers.

The Conservatives argued at the time that many of the refugee applications were bogus. The Mexican ambassador to Canada said in 2013 his country was "really mad" because Canada made it difficult
for tourists and businesspeople to travel north.

Trudeau said Conservative Leader Stephen Harper has soured Canada's relationship with Mexico over the last decade and promised to "do right by our continental neighbour."

He said since Canada and Mexico are both members of North American Free Trade Agreement, there shouldn't be travel barriers for their citizens.

He dismissed the Conservative government's claim that Mexico couldn't be a source of refugees.

"We need to ensure that Canada is a country that is accepting refugees who are fleeing persecution from all sorts of places around the world for all sorts of different reasons," Trudeau said.