PM Carney unveils $11 billion in funding to make 6 icebreakers in Quebec

On Monday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $11.3 billion commitment to Quebec’s shipbuilding industry to construct six new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. This represents the largest shipbuilding contract in the province’s history, according to Carney. The first steel will be cut next fall, with the first ship delivered five years later and the complete fleet in service five years after that.

The contract will support approximately 5,000 jobs during construction. The new vessels will be built with Canadian steel and will operate in Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence River, and the Canadian Arctic during both winter and summer. The announcement was made at the Chantier Davie shipyard in Lévis, Quebec, where all six ships will be constructed.

Quebec Premier Christine Frechette, who is preparing for a provincial election campaign, praised the deal as a great day for Lévis, emphasizing that it will protect the province’s economic sovereignty and create good careers. The project will involve over 1,500 suppliers from across Canada. Conservative defense critic James Bezan criticized the government for taking seven years from the initial announcement to finalize the deal.

Carney reiterated that the trilateral ICE Pact with the United States and Finland, aimed at supplying the U.S. with icebreakers, serves as a reminder of the many things the U.S. needs from Canada.