Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a significant investment of $11.3 billion by the federal government into Quebec’s shipbuilding industry to construct six new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. This project is deemed the most substantial shipbuilding contract in the history of the province.
The new icebreakers will replace the aging heavy and medium icebreakers of the coast guard, fulfilling a commitment made in 2019. Carney emphasized a swift timeline for the project, with the commencement of construction scheduled for next fall, the delivery of the first vessel in five years, and the entire fleet operational within ten years.
These icebreakers will serve in various regions, including Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence River during winter, and the Arctic during the summer. The announcement was made jointly by Carney and Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette at the Chantier Davie shipyard in Lévis, where all six vessels will be built.
Fréchette, heading into a provincial election campaign, hailed the project as a boon for Lévis, emphasizing its role in safeguarding the province’s economic independence and generating employment opportunities, particularly for welders and technicians. Carney estimated that the construction phase alone would create 5,000 jobs.
The vessels will be manufactured in compliance with the federal government’s “Buy Canadian” procurement policy, utilizing domestic steel. The initiative comes amidst heightened trade tensions with the United States, following collapsed negotiations and new tariff threats by President Donald Trump against Canadian industries.
In 2024, Ottawa awarded an initial $19.6 million contract to Davie under the national shipbuilding strategy for designing the new Polar Class 3 icebreakers. The Coast Guard is undergoing a comprehensive fleet modernization, with the national shipbuilding strategy overseeing the delivery of 88 new vessels by 2045.