By Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — The Canadian Coast Guard's recent struggles resupplying northern communities and rescuing ice-jammed ferries appear set to continue despite Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's promise to spend $15.7 billion on "a complete fleet renewal."
That's because none of the 18 vessels the government announced last week that it plans to buy will be an icebreaker, meaning the coast guard will be forced to continue relying on its existing icebreaker fleet for the foreseeable future.
Many of those are nearing — or have already exceeded — their expected lifespans, which has resulted in breakdowns and other problems that have affected coast-guard operations, such as resupply runs and assisting ferries in winter.
Federal procurement minister Carla Qualtrough acknowledged on the sidelines of the annual Cansec arms-trade show this week "there's definitely a capability gap on icebreakers," but wouldn't say when it would be addressed.
Qualtrough instead indicated that any announcement on more ships for the coast guard would likely come after the government adds a third shipyard to the two that are already partners in the federal shipbuilding plan.
"There's definitely more ships coming," she said on Thursday. "It will really be dependent on how long it takes the third yard to get itself ready to build the kind of ships we need."
The search is expected to start in the coming weeks, but while many observers expect Davie Shipbuilding in Quebec City to emerge victorious, a senior government official maintained a decision is unlikely before October's election.
The government's planned $15.7-billion investment unveiled last week includes two Arctic patrol ships to be built by Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax and 16 so-called multipurpose vessels from Seaspan Shipbuilding in Vancouver.
But those vessels are what officials describe as "ice-capable," rather than icebreakers, meaning the coast guard will need to continue to rely on its existing fleet for many of its operations.
The icebreaker fleet did receive a boost on Thursday, when the Canadian Coast Guard officially welcomed the CCGS Molly Kool to its ranks after several months of conversion work at Davie.
The CCGS Molly Kool is the first of three second-hand icebreakers that Davie has sold to the government, which the coast guard has said it plans to use for the next 15 to 20 years to fill any gaps until replacements are built.
But while the government is spending millions to refit its current icebreakers, which are on average 35 years old, and keep them running as long as possible, the question remains when those replacements will arrive.
The only new icebreaker currently in the government's multibillion-dollar shipbuilding plan is the polar-class CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, which was expected in 2017 before various delays pushed it back to the next decade.
"We haven't built a coast guard-designed icebreaker since 1983. That was the last time," said Rob Huebert, an expert on the coast guard at the University of Calgary. "And anything we have bought is usually second-hand from industry."
The coast guard doesn't have clout in Ottawa, Huebert said, which has translated into a lack of long-term planning or investment by successive governments — except when there are political points to be scored.
And while the addition of a third yard to the federal shipbuilding plan should mean icebreakers will follow soon after, Huebert said it is all ad hoc and will simply lead to the same problems down the road.
"I get incensed by the fact that we do not have any form of a long-term coast-guard renewal for icebreakers."
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press warned more than a third of the coast guard's 26 large vessels, including its icebreakers, had exceeded their expected lifespans — and that many wouldn't survive until replacements arrived.
The fleet's advanced age was also already affecting the coast guard's ability to do its job, including reduced search-and-rescue coverage, ferry-service disruptions and cancelled resupply runs to Arctic and coastal communities.
—Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter
Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press
14 juin 2021 | Local, Aérospatial
Demain aura lieu la journée de l'industrie de demain sur le programme STTC : https://achatsetventes.gc.ca/donnees-sur-l-approvisionnement/appels-d-offres/PW-21-00957723 Pour participer, un lien sera publié sur le site Achats et ventes. Pour ceux et celles qui ne peuvent participer, je serai disponible pour en discuter et je vous transmettrai la (les) présentations.
9 avril 2020 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
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
21 septembre 2020 | Local, Aérospatial
David Pugliese The first of the new fixed wing search and rescue aircraft that will be used by the RCAF for operations has arrived in Canada. The aircraft landed in Newfoundland and is now making its way to Canadian Forces Base Comox, BC. “With the arrival of this aircraft in Canada, several key activities at CFB Comox will begin to support the transition of the Canadian fixed-wing search and rescue responsibility to the CC-295,” the RCAF noted in a statement to this newspaper. “This includes the start of aircrew training, operational testing, and the opening of the new training facility in Comox, B.C.” Each aircraft must complete initial operational capability preparations and testing to be ready for service. That also includes training so crews can operate and maintain the new planes. The aircraft won't be used for search and rescue operations until sometime in 2022, according to the RCAF. Briggs Aero sent out a photo on Twitter of the new aircraft arriving in Newfoundland on Wednesday. Airbus expects all of the 16 aircraft ordered by Canada to be delivered by the fall of 2022. A C-295 aircraft, destined for the RCAF as a trainer for maintenance crews, arrived at CFB Comox in February. Although almost identical to a C-295, that aircraft does not have nor need the full mission equipment capability to conduct search and rescue missions, Esprit de Corps military magazine has reported. It is not one of the 16 C-295 aircraft being procured under the fixed wing search and rescue project. Instead, it is considered an additional asset that is part of the training solution. “It will be used to train maintenance technicians on rigging, removal and reinstallation procedures,” explained National Defence spokesman Dan Le Bouthillier. “Therefore, not all components need to be operationally functional and can instead be less expensive replicas.” It will be registered as a training asset, not an aircraft. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/rcafs-first-c-295-search-and-rescue-aircraft-arrives-in-canada