(OTTAWA, Ontario) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday that Chantier Davie of Levis, Quebec, will become the third strategic partner under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).
The agreement between the company and the federal government marks the start of negotiations for contracts to support Canada’s future shipbuilding needs and create good jobs. This will include the construction of six program icebreakers and one polar icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard. These ships will play an essential role in the growth of Canada’s economy, supporting year-round marine trade, and will serve as essential platforms for search and rescue and environmental response operations.
The announcement is an important step in the government’s ongoing efforts to ensure that Canada has the modern and reliable ships it needs, especially as it adapts to the continued growth of commercial shipping and the increasing impacts of climate change on its communities.
“(This) announcement is bringing us one step closer to building the fleets for Canada’s future,” Trudeau said. “Our strategic partnership with Chantier Davie will help ensure our Coast Guard is supported by modern, made-in-Canada vessels so it can continue to save lives, keep our waters secure, and protect the environment. This will also help strengthen Canada’s world-class marine industry and create good middle-class jobs, right here in Quebec.”
“This historic agreement puts the ‘national’ in National Shipbuilding Strategy,” said James Davies, president and CEO, Chantier Davie Canada. “The federal government deserves much credit. Together, we will bridge a strategic shipbuilding gap and create guaranteed capacity for future fleet renewal at Canada’s largest shipbuilder. It is an acknowledgement of everything Davie has achieved over the past decade, our expertise, and the quality of our Quebec-based workforce. We can now get to work delivering the icebreakers Canada urgently needs to meet its growing responsibilities as an international Arctic presence, while fulfilling its critical southern wintertime mission to keep our economy flowing.”
Quick facts
• In May 2019, the government of Canada announced its intention to add a third Canadian shipyard as a strategic partner under the NSS, following Irving Shipbuilding in Nova Scotia and Seaspan Shipyards in British Columbia in 2012. A competitive process to select the new shipyard was launched later that year.
• Tuesday’s agreement is the result of a complex, multi-step qualification process. It included a third-party assessment of the shipyard’s infrastructure and submission, the evaluation of its formal proposal, and a due diligence process to ensure the shipyard is financially capable of performing the work and making any necessary upgrades to its infrastructure.
• Founded in Quebec in 1825, Chantier Davie is the oldest shipyard in Canada and a global leader in the delivery of specialist, mission-critical vessels to government and commercial customers.
• Chantier Davie has already played a critical role in supporting Canada’s fleets, receiving over $2.2 billion in contracts since 2014 for various types of work on ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, the Royal Canadian Navy and Transport Canada. This included acquiring and converting three medium interim icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard, refitting CCGS Louis S. St‑Laurent, converting M/V Asterix to provide the navy with an interim auxiliary oiler replenishment capability, and maintaining one of the navy’s Halifax-class frigates. Chantier Davie is currently working on the design and construction of two ferries for Transport Canada.
• Since 2012, the government of Canada has awarded more than $21 billion in shipbuilding-related contracts. Contracts awarded under the NSS are estimated to contribute nearly $2 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) annually on average.
– Government of Canada
