Ottawa awards $3.25B contract to Quebec-based Davie shipyard to build new polar icebreaker
The federal government has handed a $3.25 billion contract to the Davie Shipyard in Lévis, Que. to build a new polar icebreaker by 2030.
"This polar icebreaker will be among the largest and most complex ever built on the planet," said Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos at a news conference in Lévis on Saturday morning.
An icebreaker is a vessel designed to navigate and cut through thick ice that obstructs frozen waters.
Another polar icebreaker will be built simultaneously at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards. Duclos explained that the Canadian Coast Guard will be able to use the two ships in emergency situations in Canada's Arctic to conduct year-round missions to support northern communities and scientific research, and to ensure the country's Arctic sovereignty.
"This will give Canada access to the Arctic and the High Arctic at all times and in all circumstances for the first time in the country's history," said Duclos.
"This is particularly relevant in the present context, where Canadian sovereignty is threatened by growing global tensions."
The construction of the PolarMax is expected to create 3,250 "direct and indirect jobs" per year between 2025 and 2030 and to add $440 million to Canada's GDP annually, according to Duclos.
More than 70 per cent of the work will be done in the province and the rest of Canada. Canadian workers will also work with their Finnish counterparts to build part of the icebreaker in Finland.
Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters this job creation comes at a "good time."
"With Mr. Trump, there's a significant risk that jobs will be lost in the manufacturing sector as a result of the tariffs that will be put in place and the reduction of our exports to the United States," said Legault.
Duclos noted that the PolarMax will withstand impacts and extreme vibrations in very cold temperatures and through ice up to three metres thick for a minimum lifespan of 40 years.
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