Ottawa’s talks with Quebec shipyard to build much-needed icebreakers shrouded in fog
Published January 21, 2022 at 1:16 pm
OTTAWA — Questions are swirling over yet another delay in Ottawa’s nearly $100-billion plan to rebuild the fleets of Canada’s navy and coast guard, only this time the delay isn’t due to the stalled construction of a ship.
The federal government announced in December 2019 that Quebec shipyard Chantier Davie was the only company to qualify for a piece of that work.
That announcement kicked off negotiations toward an agreement that would see Davie responsible for building the coast guard’s next icebreaker fleet over the next 20 years.
But more than two years later, those talks remain shrouded in fog, which has raised concerns about what will happen to those much-needed icebreakers.
While both sides say discussions are proceeding, the last official update from the government was in July when it said it expected a deal by the end of the year.
Some experts worry the failure to reach an agreement is indicative of a fissure between the two sides and will further delay replacing the coast guard’s icebreakers, most of which were due to retire years ago.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2022.
The Canadian Press
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