Back to news

August 13, 2018 | Local, Naval

Quebec's Davie shipyard wins $610M contract to convert icebreakers for coast guard

Jean-Yves Duclos, who represents the Quebec City region made announcement Friday

The federal government has signed a $610-million contract to acquire and convert three icebreakers to renew the Canadian Coast Guard's aging fleet.

Federal Families, Children and Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, who represents the Quebec City region made the announcement at the Davie shipyard in Lévis, which will be doing the work.

The coast guard fleet lacks the capacity to perform its icebreaking duties. The Canadian Coast Guard ship Terry Fox, launched in 1993, is the newest icebreaker in the fleet.

The contract is expected to result in the creation of 200 new jobs over the next two years, according to Davie spokesperson Frédérik Boisvert.

Last year, when Davie was working on conversion of the Asterix and finishing two ferries, Davie employed 1,500 workers, Boisvert said.

Many of them were laid off once the projects were completed.

In June, the Liberal government concluded a deal with Davie to purchase three icebreakers, but there was no price tag attached to the project at the time.

Negotiations to acquire the vessels were launched in January after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau abruptly announced the plan in a Radio-Canada interview in Quebec City.

That marked the beginning of a seven-month negotiating process between the government and Davie.

Fraser noted that the usual time it takes to negotiate a shipbuilding contract with the government is eight years, praising the work of negotiators for the government and Davie.

MacKinnon confirmed that Ottawa sped up the process for the icebreaker deal.

Full Article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ottawa-will-allow-quebec-s-davie-shipyard-to-bid-on-national-shipbuilding-plan-contracts-1.4780836

On the same subject

  • Ukraine, Canada defence ministers discuss epidemiological situation in countries’ armed forces

    April 9, 2020 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    Ukraine, Canada defence ministers discuss epidemiological situation in countries’ armed forces

    Defence Minister of Ukraine Andriy Taran discussed during a phone conversation with Minister of National Defence of Canada Harjit Sajjan the security situation in Ukraine and around the world amid coronavirus pandemic. “Yesterday, April 7, Defence Minister of Ukraine Andriy Taran had a phone conversation with Minister of National Defence of Canada Harjit Sajjan. The main topic of the dialogue was the discussion of the security situation in Ukraine and around the world in the context of the current epidemiological situation in the armed forces of both countries. The Minister of National Defence of Canada reiterated the continued unconditional support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the willingness of the Canadian Defence Ministry to assist in enhancing the military capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In particular, the parties discussed the continued support for the training mission of Canada in Ukraine and resumption of its activities in full after the completion of measured related to combating coronavirus pandemic,” the press service of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine informs. In the context of enhancing the combat readiness of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andriy Taran emphasized the invariance of the continuation of consistent defence reform in Ukraine. In turn, Minister Sajjan welcomed the continued reform of the Ukrainian military under NATO standards and assured of support for Ukraine's accession to the NATO EOP and unblocking of the NATO-Ukraine Commission. The Defence Minister of Ukraine confirmed the priority of continuation of the Euro-Atlantic integration policy in the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and also informed the Canadian counterpart about the key goals and priorities of the Ministry's activity. As noted, Harjit Sajjan stressed that the Canadian side was ready to use the Embassy of Canada in Ukraine as a point of contact to promote the mentioned issues among its allies. The parties also discussed a number of issues regarding the continuation of Canada's advisory assistance to Ukraine and the intensification of military and technical cooperation. https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-defense/3001306-ukraine-canada-defence-ministers-discuss-epidemiological-situation-in-countries-armed-forces.html

  • It’s time to get serious about fixing defence procurement: opinion

    July 18, 2022 | Local, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security, Other Defence

    It’s time to get serious about fixing defence procurement: opinion

    By Alan Williams In the recent debate over Canada's troubled defence procurement system some have advocated for the need for more flexible rules to expedite delivery of military equipment. For example, the suggestion has been made that there is a requirement to provide Treasury Board Ministers with the ability to recommend waiving or amending policies to allow military equipment to be purchased to meet urgent requirements. Such action is unnecessary as the government currently has this capability. Under section 513 1 (d) of the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), the government can bypass competition and sole source acquisitions when, “if strictly necessary, and for reasons of urgency brought about by events unforeseeable by the procuring entity, the goods or services could not be obtained in time using open tendering.” This clause is often used to provide the military with the goods and services it needs during wartime.

  • Denmark to re-start ammunition production at repurchased arms plant | Reuters

    October 8, 2023 | Local, Land, Security

    Denmark to re-start ammunition production at repurchased arms plant | Reuters

    Denmark's defence ministry aims to restart ammunition production after a 55-year gap to ensure its domestic supplies as the war in Ukraine creates increased demand for military hardware across Europe.

All news