For immediate release
Vancouver, British Columbia, October 19, 2012 – The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women and the Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages and Regional Minister for British Columbia, today took part in a groundbreaking ceremony at Vancouver Shipyards as part of the shipyard’s $200-million infrastructure investment for the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS).
“It is with great pleasure that we take part in this historic ceremony,” said Minister Ambrose. “One year ago, Vancouver Shipyards was selected to build Canada’s non-combat vessels and today we witness this important milestone, a major investment that will create jobs and enable Vancouver Shipyards to efficiently build large vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard.”
“Today’s investment demonstrates Vancouver Shipyards’ commitment to the West Coast economy,” said Minister Moore. “Years of stable employment for local workers and world-class shipbuilding facilities can only mean good news for the region.”
Vancouver Shipyards will proceed with major upgrades, including four new fabrication buildings, a shipbuilding gantry crane and a load out pier. The announced investment is the result of a commitment made under the NSPS and was a key component of the evaluation process. In order to most efficiently build the ships of the federal fleet, the shipyards need to achieve a “target state.” The target state is a level of efficiency that is internationally recognized, and set by First Marine International. The main purpose of this requirement was to select shipyards that were ready to invest in becoming capable of building Canada’s vessels. As per Vancouver Shipyards’ commitment, these investments are funded entirely by the shipyard, which means no cost to Canada.
Vancouver Shipyards’ infrastructure improvements will allow it to build the Canadian Coast Guard’s science vessels and polar icebreakers and the Royal Canadian Navy’s joint support ships more efficiently, while delivering the best value to Canada. The shipyard estimates that this investment is expected to create approximately 1000 jobs over the next three years, proving that the NSPS is already showing signs of being an economic booster for the West Coast. The NSPS—the largest procurement sourcing arrangement in Canadian history—is also expected to create thousands of high-value jobs in shipbuilding and related industries across the country.
In June 2010, the Government of Canada made a strategic decision to support the Canadian marine industry and build ships for the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Coast Guard, here in Canada. Since the announcement of the shipyards selected to build Canada’s large vessels, Canada has established strategic relationships with the shipyards by signing the umbrella agreements and has begun negotiations on the ships to be built.
For more information on the NSPS, please visit http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/app-acq/sam-mps/snacn-nsps-eng.html.
-30-
Ce texte est également disponible en français.
For more information, media may contact:
Amber Irwin
Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose
819-997-5421
Media Relations
Public Works and Government Services Canada
819-956-2315
PWGSC news releases are also available on our Internet site at http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/medias-media/index-eng.html.
Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/PWGSC_TPSGC.
