December 1, 2017 | Local, Naval

Chantier Davie won’t take ‘no’ for an answer

By Kevin Dougherty. Published on Dec 1, 2017 10:46am

QUEBEC – Chantier Davie in Lévis, across the St. Lawrence from Quebec City, will be forced to lay off 800 shipyard workers before Christmas without a new contract to build a second supply vessel for the Canadian navy.

“We're not taking no for an answer on that,” Davie CEO Alex Vicefield said in a telephone interview on Thursday, after Defence Minister Harjit Singh Sajjan told Le Journal de Québec last week through his press attaché that the government does not plan to buy a second supply ship.

In an email response Thursday, Sajjan's press attaché Bryne Furlong reiterated that, “Navy and Coast Guard supply requirements have been extensively studied and are subject to long-term planning, which does not include a second supply vessel‎.”

The layoffs have begun, now that the Davie workforce has completed — on time and on budget — conversion of the German-built container ship Asterix into a supply ship to deliver fuel, water, food and supplies to the ships of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Davie's plan now is the $600 million conversion of the Obelix, a sister ship to the Asterix, into the navy's second supply ship. Vicefield said Ottawa's plan calls for paying $2 billion each for two new supply vessels, the first of which will only be available 10 years from now.

“Why do we need to build these ships for $2 billion each?” Vicefield asked, noting the Asterix and Obelix cost $600 million each and are superior vessels.

“I'm not a political activist but we believe in the project and we delivered,” Vicefield said.

In 2011, the Harper government unveiled its National Shipbuilding Procurement Program, awarding $38-billion in contracts to build ships for the Navy and Coast Guard to Irving Shipbuilding Inc. of Halifax and Seaspan Shipbuilding of Vancouver.

Davie, emerging from bankruptcy at the time, is Canada's largest shipyard and was excluded.

Cost estimates have risen since then, Vicefield noted, with the cost ballooning to over $100 billion. And in the six years since the plan was announced, the two winning shipyards have delivered no ships.

Officially, Seaspan is to launch its first replacement supply ship in 2021.

But Vicefield noted that Andy Smith, the official responsible for shipbuilding in the federal department of fisheries and oceans, told a Commons committee Nov. 7 that Seaspan has a backlog of three ships to build before work on the first supply ship can begin in 2023, for delivery in 2027.

Vicefield said that in spite of granting the lion's share of shipbuilding contracts to Halifax, the Conservatives where shut out in Atlantic Canada in the 2015 election, and Steven Blaney, the Conservative MP representing Lévis, was re-elected even though Davie was excluded from the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy.

“The key point here is that shipbuilding contracts do not win votes,” Vicefield said. “But major procurement scandals bring down governments.

“If I was in government, I would be worried about a major procurement scandal, where you are spending five, six times the cost to buy a ship than any other country in the world pays and nothing is being delivered.”

The Asterix is also a hospital ship and can deliver humanitarian aid in the event of major natural disasters, such as a tsunami or a devastating hurricane.

Davie stepped into the breach in 2014, when the navy's two existing supply ships were scrapped and plans by Seaspan to build two replacement supply ships were a distant prospect.

The Harper government granted Davie a contract to convert the Asterix into a supply ship for about $600 million as a private-public partnership, with Davie managing the project from stem to stern, its financing, as well as providing its civilian crew and leasing the ship to the federal government for five years.

When Justin Trudeau led his Liberals to power in 2015, Irving Shipbuilding leaned on Liberal ministers from the Maritimes to have the contract cancelled.

But the work was underway and Ottawa did not block the Asterix project.

The Halifax-based and crewed Asterix will supply Canadian navy ships off the east coast, while off the west coast Canadian naval vessels will be supplied by Chilean and Spanish navy supply ships.

“Why would you do that when you can put the money back into Canada and ensure the jobs of 800 people here for another two years?” Vicefield said. “It makes no sense.”

Vicefield regards the Harper government's plans, renamed by the Liberal government as the National Shipbuilding Strategy, as “mind-boggling” and “a bit of a joke.”

And he believes Canada can have three shipyards, including Davie, to build and maintain naval and Coast Guard vessels.

“There are about 50 large ships that need replacing,” he said, noting the average age of the Coast Guard fleet is 40 years. “So there is enough work for sure for three shipyards for the next 30 years.”

“We haven't been pushing against the National Shipbuilding Strategy,” Vicefield said. “I think it is going to fall on its own.”

Irving, which is now building ships in Romania, and Seaspan, which has ordered two ferries to be built in Turkey, are defending the plan, and so far have political support.

“They see the writing on the wall,” Vicefield said. “They want to destroy the competition. They see that now they have the upper hand.

“But we're not going to let that happen,” he insists.

“We're convinced the new government, the Liberals, will actually see sense.

“But it is taking time for them to get their feet under the desk.”

https://ipolitics.ca/article/chantier-davie-wont-take-no-answer/

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December 7, 2018 | Local, Aerospace

L-3 MAS choisie une fois de plus pour assurer le soutien en service de la flotte d'Airbus CC-150 du MDN
MIRABEL, QC, le 15 août 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - L-3 MAS, avec son partenaire Avianor Inc., a annoncé aujourd'hui que le gouvernement canadien lui avait accordé le contrat pluriannuel subséquent visant à poursuivre le soutien en service (SES) complet de la flotte d'Airbus CC-150 Polaris du ministère de la Défense nationale (MDN). Ce nouveau contrat pluriannuel de SES du CC-150 représente une valeur potentielle de 683 millions de dollars et établit L-3 MAS comme entrepreneur de soutien au CC-150 du gouvernement jusqu'en 2018, entente à laquelle pourraient s'ajouter deux périodes de cinq années d'option. L-3 MAS avait obtenu le contrat intérimaire de SES du CC-150 en juin 2012. Les t'ches relevant de ce contrat seront exécutées à la base d'opérations du client à Trenton, Ontario, ainsi qu'aux installations de L-3 MAS et Avianor à Mirabel, Québec. « Nous comprenons l'importance stratégique des missions de la flotte de CC-150 et nous sommes honorés que le gouvernement canadien nous ait sélectionnés une fois de plus pour ce programme », a déclaré Jacques Comtois, vice-président et directeur général de L-3 MAS. « Depuis l'attribution du contrat intérimaire en juin dernier, l'équipe de L-3 MAS s'est consacrée à fournir à cette flotte stratégique du MDN un soutien stable et le meilleur rapport qualité-prix possible. Ce succès démontre toute l'importance que L-3 MAS accorde à ses clients, à la qualité de son travail et à ses relations d'affaires à long terme en tant que principal fournisseur canadien de SES pour des aéronefs militaires. » « Avianor est extrêmement heureuse de pouvoir continuer à participer au soutien de la flotte canadienne de CC-150 et de démontrer ses capacités exceptionnelles en maintenance, réparation et révision (MRO) commerciales », a ajouté Sylvain Savard, président et copropriétaire d'Avianor Inc. « Notre expérience avec les Airbus, notre agilité et notre structure tarifaire très concurrentielle nous permettront d'assurer une disponibilité opérationnelle maximale et d'offrir le meilleur rapport qualité/prix au gouvernement canadien. » La flotte de CC-150 Polaris est exploitée par le gouvernement pour des fonctions de haute importance comme le transport VIP et le ravitaillement en vol stratégique, ainsi que pour le transport de passagers et de marchandise et pour le transport médical. En tant qu'entrepreneur principal, L-3 MAS assurera la gestion globale du programme et du matériel, les services de soutien technique ainsi que l'entretien quotidien des appareils de la base des Forces canadiennes (BFC) Trenton. De son côté, Avianor prendra en charge les travaux d'entretien majeurs de la flotte ainsi que les services de réparation et révision des composants depuis ses installations à Mirabel. https://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/l-3-mas-choisie-une-fois-de-plus-pour-assurer-le-soutien-en-service-de-la-flotte-dairbus-cc-150-du-mdn-512805701.html
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January 11, 2021 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

Canada’s defense minister: Our investment in defense is an investment in North American security
By: Harjit Sajjan For any military force, maintaining an advantage requires innovation and investment. It is why Canada is modernizing our Army, Navy and Air Force while putting our serving members in the Canadian Armed Forces at its core. To ensure our people have the most advanced capabilities and tools for the future, Canada is putting a greater focus on research and development, supporting innovators in industry and in government, and building a closer relationship between these two worlds. Since 2017, when we published our fully funded 20-year defense policy “Strong, Secure, Engaged,” we have seen significant changes in the global security environment. These new challenges underscore the need to invest in defense as a matter of national security and economic vitality. “Strong, Secure, Engaged” was released at a time when the dominant forces of the current security environment were just beginning to take shape. Today, Canada faces a world defined by great power conflict, rapid military modernization by states set on upending the international rules-based order, and advances against disruptive technologies in which North American geography no longer affords the protection it once did. While we have traditionally been able to address threats abroad before they reach our shores, our security requires reinforcement. While this new space has many unknowns, we know that multilateralism and supporting the rules-based international order is critical to our success and our safety. Since 2017, Canada has increased our support to NATO partners through Operation Reassurance — which has seen Royal Canadian Navy ships deployed in the Black Sea region, the Royal Canadian Air Force supporting air policing in Romania, and Canadian Armed Forces members leading the Enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Latvia — as well as through our work leading NATO Mission Iraq and our support for the coalition. We also know that this changing security landscape means we need to take a thorough look at how we can secure North America against the threats of today and the future. It is why Canada continues to work with our American partners on the modernization of North American Aerospace Defense Command to build continental resiliency. This critical work will ensure that Canada and the United States of America have the ability to detect, deter and respond to threats, and that the only binational command in the world can meet the challenges of the 21st century. For many years now, the Department of National Defence has worked hard to keep defense industries informed of future investment opportunities that will continue generating jobs and improving Canada's capacity for innovation. It is one reason that we have a forward-looking, 10-year defense investment plan that is updated every three years. This engagement with industry has become an integral part of the procurement process, providing critical insights while showing industry that we are a predicable partner. Despite the unexpected challenges during 2020, Canada reached important milestones for key defense projects. In July 2020, the first Arctic and offshore patrol ship was delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy, followed in the fall by delivery of the first new fixed-wing search and rescue aircraft to the Royal Canadian Air Force. Construction of armored combat support vehicles for the Canadian Army began in May 2020, with the first vehicle delivered to the Armed Forces in December 2020. We also continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into equipping members of our armed forces. We now see unprecedented innovation in all corners of the world, which militaries can harness to quickly understand and respond to potential threats before they cause harm. It is why new and emerging technologies in cyber and artificial intelligence are becoming an integral part of defense projects. Canada is growing its defense industry by leveraging research and development from both industry and government to achieve the best results. By working together, we can come up with innovative solutions to increase Canada's operational effectiveness while showing that defense is forging a path to the future. In addition to embracing innovation within defense institutions and industry, more work is needed to support our people. The Canadian Armed Forces is a diverse institution, and our equipment needs to recognize that. It is why the Gender-based Analysis Plus process looks at factors such as gender, race, religion and ethnicity so that our defense projects better meet the needs of armed forces members. These changes help get the best out of our people, producing meaningful results. For example, changes made to the brake pedal assembly in the new armor-protected cab of the Standard Military Pattern vehicle ensure all soldiers, no matter their size, can safely operate these vehicles. By building an agile, well-educated, flexible, diverse, combat-ready military, we will be able to deal with threats abroad to protect stability at home. This historic investment through “Strong, Secure, Engaged” allows Canada to modernize our military by putting our people at its core as we continue to step up our contribution to North American and global security. When our partners and allies call upon Canada, we will be there for them. Harjit Sajjan is Canada's minister of national defense. https://www.defensenews.com/outlook/2021/01/11/canadas-defense-minister-our-investment-in-defense-is-an-investment-in-north-american-security/

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Chantier Davie won’t take ‘no’ for an answer

On the same subject

Royal Canadian Air Force: Contested airlift - Skies Mag In a degraded environment, Exercise Mobility Guardian gave AN RCAF airlift detachment the opportunity to test concepts of operations and Strengthen interoperability in a region CC-130Js and CC-150s rarely train.

Royal Canadian Air Force: Contested airlift - Skies Mag
In a degraded environment, Exercise Mobility Guardian gave AN RCAF airlift detachment the opportunity to test concepts of operations and Strengthen interoperability in a region CC-130Js and CC-150s rarely train.