Back to news

August 5, 2019 | Local, Naval

Government of Canada announces construction of new icebreakers for Canadian Coast Guard

Government of Canada announces construction of new icebreakers for Canadian Coast Guard

IQALUIT, NU, Aug. 2, 2019 /CNW/ - Canadians across the country rely on the critical services of the Canadian Coast Guard to protect mariners and the marine environment, and to ensure the safe and efficient movement of ships that are key to our vibrant economy. With continued growth in commercial shipping and with climate change already affecting our communities, demands on the Coast Guard continue to grow.

The Coast Guard provides critical icebreaking services to ensure commercial ships and ferries have access to Canadian ports during the winter time, and supports summer re-supply activities in Canada's Arctic. To ensure the Coast Guard can continue to deliver these essential services, today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, announced that the Coast Guard will be procuring six new program icebreakers to replace its current aging fleet of icebreakers.

Minister Wilkinson also announced, on behalf of the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, that the Government of Canada is officially launching a competitive process, through an Invitation to Qualify, to add a third Canadian shipyard as a strategic partner under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). This new shipyard will build the new program icebreakers for the Coast Guard.

Coast Guard program icebreakers are essential to Canada's economy by supporting year-round marine trade in Eastern Canada, the St. Lawrence waterway and the Great Lakes. They enable eastern Canadian ferries to operate during the winter time, and are critical to Canada's commercial fisheries. The program icebreakers are also used to provide service to Canada's northern residents by supporting the annual re-supply of goods to Canada's Arctic communities and their industries.

Quotes

"The Canadian Coast Guard saves lives at sea, maintains safe shipping, enables an otherwise ice-choked economy, protects the marine environment and supports Canadian sovereign presence in the Arctic. Demands on the Coast Guard will only grow as the impacts of climate change become more frequent and intense. By adding the new program icebreakers to renew the fleet, we are ensuring the women and men of the Canadian Coast Guard have the equipment they need to deliver icebreaking services in the Arctic, on the St. Lawrence waterway and on Canada's East Coast."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"This is an important undertaking with another significant investment to back it up, and it means even more jobs, more opportunity and more economic development right across the country, while ensuring our Canadian Coast Guard has the ships it needs to do its important work. Together with our partners, we are renewing Canada's federal fleet, advancing Canadian technological innovation and supporting jobs across Canada."

The Honourable Carla Qualtrough
Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility

Quick facts

  • Through the Invitation to Qualify, the Government of Canada will establish a short list of pre-qualified shipyards that will be eligible to submit a formal proposal to become the third strategic partner under the NSS, joining Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards.
  • Interested suppliers have 15 days, starting today, to respond to the Invitation to Qualify.
  • On May 22, 2019, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the Government of Canada is investing $15.7 billionto renew the Coast Guard fleet, with up to 16 Multi-Purpose Vessels to be built at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards and two new Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships to be built at Irving Shipbuilding Inc.
  • To date, the Government of Canada has awarded more than $11.4 billion in NSS-related contracts across the country.
  • The Government of Canada's NSS is a long-term, multi-billion-dollar program focused on renewing the Canadian Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy fleets to ensure that Canada's marine agencies have the modern ships they need to fulfill their missions, while revitalizing Canada's marine industry, creating good middle-class jobs and maximizing economic benefits across the country.

Related products

Backgrounder – Canadian Coast Guard's new icebreakers
Backgrounder – Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy – Process to add a third shipyard

Associated links

National Shipbuilding Strategy
Prime Minister announces renewal of Canadian Coast Guard fleet

Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook

SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

For further information: Marielle Hossack, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, 819-997-5421; Media Relations, Public Services and Procurement Canada, 819-420-5501, media@pwgsc-tpsgc.gc.ca; Jocelyn Lubczuk, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 343-548-7863, Jocelyn.lubczuk@dfo-mpo.gc.ca; Media Relations, Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, 613-990-7537, Media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Related Links

www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/government-of-canada-announces-construction-of-new-icebreakers-for-canadian-coast-guard-821197891.html

On the same subject

  • Airbus veut croître en Amérique du Nord en visant la défense

    February 4, 2019 | Local, Aerospace

    Airbus veut croître en Amérique du Nord en visant la défense

    DJALLAL MALTI Agence France-Presse Airbus veut profiter de son implantation industrielle croissante en Amérique du Nord pour accélérer dans la défense aux États-Unis et au Canada, avec comme argument clé d'être un acteur local qui investit et crée des emplois sur place. « Pour n'importe quel acteur du secteur aéronautique et défense, jouer aux États-Unis, c'est aujourd'hui pratiquement incontournable », relève Philippe Plouvier, directeur associé au cabinet de conseil Boston Consulting Group. « Parce que dans la défense, les États-Unis, c'est 50 % des budgets mondiaux. » Mais « jouer en Amérique du Nord, c'est avoir une base industrielle sur place. Il n'y a pas de grand acteur là-bas qui n'ait pas une base importante », souligne ce spécialiste de l'aéronautique et de la défense. Airbus a renforcé son empreinte industrielle outre-Atlantique ces dernières années. Déjà présent aux États-Unis depuis 2004 avec une usine d'hélicoptères à Columbus, il a inauguré en 2015 une ligne d'assemblage finale (FAL) destinée à l'A320 à Mobile. Mais avec la prise de contrôle du programme CSeries de Bombardier, il a encore accru cette présence. Au Canada, il a « hérité » de la ligne d'assemblage de l'A220 à Mirabel et aux États-Unis, il a décidé d'en implanter une seconde, à Mobile, ce qui fait du géant européen un acteur local. Airbus se targue d'avoir dépensé 48 milliards de dollars aux États-Unis ces trois dernières années, ce qui se traduit par 275 000 emplois américains soutenus par l'avionneur. « Lorsqu'un industriel de la défense veut vendre ses produits dans un autre pays que le sien, il y a généralement trois étapes à franchir », relève Stéphane Albernhe, du cabinet Archery Consulting. Les deux premières sont les compensations au transfert de technologies. « La troisième, qui est particulièrement importante aux États-Unis, c'est la capacité à être perçu comme un actual good US citizen, qui consiste à mettre les conditions pour que l'industriel soit considéré par les Américains comme pleinement américain. » « Pour réussir cela, beaucoup de leviers peuvent être activés », mais « ce qui compte pour remporter un contrat au-delà du respect des spécifications techniques et du prix, c'est véritablement de s'intégrer pleinement dans le paysage américain. » « Le meilleur avion pour l'armée la plus puissante » Huit ans après avoir perdu celui des avions ravitailleurs face à Boeing, Airbus s'est allié à Lockheed Martin pour répondre aux besoins de l'armée de l'air américaine en termes de ravitaillement en vol. Le géant européen propose son A330 MRTT, qu'il a déjà vendu à une douzaine de pays. « Je ne comprends toujours pas pourquoi l'armée de l'air la plus puissante du monde ne volerait pas avec le meilleur avion ravitailleur sur le marché ? Parce que c'est clairement ce qu'est le MRTT », a lancé le président exécutif d'Airbus, Tom Enders, récemment à Mobile. « Nous avons remporté toutes les compétitions à part les États-Unis », a-t-il poursuivi. « Alors tout ce que nous voulons faire est d'amener l'avion ravitailleur le plus performant à la plus grande armée de l'air du monde. Cela fait sens, non ? » Airbus vise également un appel d'offres de la marine américaine pour 130 hélicoptères, alors qu'il fournit déjà l'armée américaine avec des UH-72A Lakota. Au Canada, il est en lice avec l'Eurofighter Typhoon pour l'appel d'offres qu'Ottawa doit lancer en mai pour remplacer sa flotte d'avions de combats : 88 appareils à livrer en 2025, un contrat estimé à 19 milliards de dollars. Tom Enders a laissé entendre qu'une partie de l'assemblage pourrait se faire sur place. « Quatre-vingt huit appareils, c'est important pour le Canada, ce serait important pour nous aussi », a-t-il l'ché. À plus long terme, Airbus vise le remplacement des ravitailleurs de l'armée de l'air canadienne, à l'horizon 2021-2022. Restent les enquêtes qui le visent : Airbus, qui coopère avec les autorités judiciaires en France, au Royaume-Uni et aux États-Unis, espère vite tourner cette page qui ternit son image. « C'est généralement très long et dure plusieurs années », souligne Stéphane Albernhe. « Une fois que l'instruction a démarré, il y a deux objectifs pour l'industriel : faire en sorte de converger le plus rapidement possible pour réduire les impacts "réputationnels", et négocier afin que la sanction financière soit raisonnable. » https://www.lapresse.ca/affaires/economie/transports/201902/01/01-5213165-airbus-veut-croitre-en-amerique-du-nord-en-visant-la-defense.php

  • Government of Canada announces contract awards for research and development in support of Arctic surveillance

    February 4, 2019 | Local, C4ISR

    Government of Canada announces contract awards for research and development in support of Arctic surveillance

    February 1, 2019 – Ottawa, Ont. – National Defence/Canadian Armed Forces The Department of National Defence is investing in defence research and development to produce innovative solutions to surveillance challenges facing the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF), particularly in Canada's North. In support of this, Member of Parliament for York Centre Michael Levitt, on behalf of Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan, announced today that the Department of National Defence, through Public Services and Procurement Canada, has awarded two contracts to Raytheon Canada Limited and the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies' Space Flight Lab (UTIAS SFL) under the All Domain Situational Awareness (ADSA) Science & Technology (S&T) Program for a total of $46.2 million. Raytheon Canada Limited has been awarded a contract for $31.2 million for the construction of transmit and receive electronics for a study of over-the-horizon radar detection at long range. A contract for $15 million has also been awarded to UTIAS SFL for the development of a prototype of a multipurpose microsatellite equipped with state-of-the-art sensor technology for air and maritime surveillance. As outlined in our defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged, the ability to conduct leading-edge research and development in satellite and radar technologies plays a critical role in supporting the CAFs capabilities, particularly in remote locations such as Canada's Arctic. Surveillance solutions such as these improve our access to accurate and timely information, enabling the CAF and our partners to better collect, understand and disseminate information and intelligence, and support our ability to succeed on operations at home or abroad. These systems will support our government's ability to exercise sovereignty in the North, and provide a greater awareness of safety and security issues, as well as transportation and commercial activity in Canada's Arctic. In addition, solutions achieved under the ADSA program will contribute to joint efforts between Canada and the United States to modernize elements of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Quotes “Our government understands that science and innovation are crucial in solving some of our most complex defence and security challenges. Through these contracts, the Department of National Defence is taking the next step to solving our surveillance challenges in the Arctic. We are proud to be partnering with Raytheon Canada and the Space Flight Laboratory to produce innovative solutions that will help to protect Canada's North.” The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan Minister of National Defence Quick facts The UTIAS SFL microsatellites being developed will allow for quick and timely detection and identification of surface or airborne targets. This is expected to improve the reliability of the detection and identification performance, leading to improved situational awareness for the CAF and our partners. Upon successful completion and testing of the prototype, two additional microsatellites will be built to create a small formation. These will then be launched for demonstration and testing. The primary objective of the Raytheon project is to demonstrate the feasibility of sky-wave radar technology for the detection of air targets at all altitudes beyond the radar's horizon. This involves reflecting signals off of the ionosphere and back to a receiving station located beyond the line of site. Once operational, the system will be used in conjunction with other systems to further understand the effect of the Aurora Borealis on target detection beyond the horizon. The ADSA S&T Program aims to leverage innovative science & technology expertise from other government departments, academia, industry and allies, to identify, assess and validate technologies in support of air and maritime surveillance, particularly in the North. Through a five-year investment of $133M through to 2020, the ADSA S&T Program is supporting the development of options for enhanced domain awareness of air, maritime surface and sub-surface approaches to Canada, in particular those in the Arctic. National Defence's science and technology organization, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), is the national leader in defence and security S&T. DRDC provides the defence S&T community, the Canadian Armed Forces and other government departments, as well as the public safety and security communities, with the knowledge and technology advantage needed to defend and protect Canada's interests at home and abroad. Associated links All Domain Situational Awareness S&T Program Strong, Secure, Engaged https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2019/02/government-of-canada-announces-contract-awards-for-research-and-development-in-support-of-arctic-surveillance.html

  • RCAF aircraft participate in East Coast intercept exercise

    June 4, 2020 | Local, Aerospace

    RCAF aircraft participate in East Coast intercept exercise

    Posted on June 4, 2020 by Ken Pole Royal Canadian Air Force CF-188 Hornets and U.S. fighters are routinely tasked by North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) to intercept Russian aircraft operating close to Canadian and U.S. airspace. The latest incident occurred in early March when two Tupolev Tu-142 reconnaissance aircraft were met over the Beaufort Sea by RCAF Boeing CF-188s from Cold Lake, Alta., and USAF F-22 Raptors out of Elmendorf AFB in Alaska. They were supported by two larger Boeings, a USAF KC-135 Stratotanker and E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft. Having waved their metaphorical flags, all returned to their respective bases without incident. More recently, two CF-188s from 433 Tactical Fighter Squadron at RCAF 3 Wing in Bagotville, Que., and Lockheed Martin CP-140 Aurora maritime reconnaissance aircraft out of 14 Wing Greenwood, N.S., were involved in a more unusual intercept exercise off the East Coast. Also participating were the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) frigate Ville de Quebec and the supply ship Asterix, both homeported in Halifax. The unprecedented May 28 to 31 exercise was co-ordinated by U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and also involved the U.S. Strategic, Space and Transportation Commands. Centred around the U.S. Navy Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group and the RCN ships, the exercise was designed to test U.S. homeland defence against a supersonic Rockwell B-1B Lancer heavy bomber representing an enemy intruder. U.S. aircraft included KC-135s for refuelling not only the Canadian fighters but also Boeing F-15 Eagles flown by the U.S. Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing out of Barnes ANG Base in Westfield, Mass., and Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing 1 at Oceana, Va. The CP-140s, from 404, 405 and 415 Squadrons at Greenwood, conducted five overflights during the exercise as well as participating in an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) element. The Ville de Quebec also participated in the ASW element as well as the Lancer intercept before returning to Halifax. The Asterix conducted several “replenishments at sea” exercises with other ships. “This was an excellent advanced readiness opportunity for Canadian and American maritime forces,” RAdm Craig Baines, the RCN's Commander Maritime Forces Atlantic, said in a statement. “The scenarios utilized during these events enable our mutual ability to operate in a multi-threat environment, in which co-ordination and integration are absolutely critical for our success in responding to any crisis in our waters or internationally.” Operational details were scarce, with Canadian and U.S. officers saying only that the exercise took place in an area up to 160 kilometres offshore. However, Terrence O'Shaughnessy, the four-star USAF General who heads both USNORTHCOM and NORAD, said in a statement that the “complex high-end operations . . . allowed us to demonstrate and exercise critical homeland defense capabilities.” https://www.skiesmag.com/news/rcaf-aircraft-participate-east-coast-intercept-exercise

All news