The federal government announced in December 2019 that Quebec shipyard Chantier Davie was the only company to qualify for a piece of that work, namely the construction of six much-needed icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. Yet while that announcement kicked off negotiations toward an agreement Davie and its supporters in Quebec and Ottawa had long demanded, the subsequent discussions remain shrouded in fog more than two years later. The delay is fuelling fears about the Canadian Coast Guard’s aging fleet, which shrunk by another ship this week with the forced retirement of a 59-year-old science vessel, leaving Canada without a dedicated platform for ocean research. The Quebec shipyard was able to pick up some piecemeal work, including the construction of two federal ferries and the provision of several second-hand ships for the navy and coast guard. All the while, the coast guard’s fleet was becoming increasingly decrepit.

Source: CBC News January 21, 2022 20:38 UTC