NR 13.105 - April 11, 2013
OTTAWA - In procuring the Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships the Government of Canada is acting to meet established Royal Canadian Navy requirements. These requirements are guided by a recognition of new and evolving threats to the sovereignty of Canada’s domestic coast line and commercial shipping lanes. As northern waters become more navigable, there is a need for the Royal Canadian Navy to have greater capabilities for supporting search and rescue and other domestic operations in the Arctic.
“The strategy for procuring these new ships, the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy, was established and is being implemented through extensive consultations with the marine industry and with consistent third party monitoring,” said the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada and Minister for Status of Women.
“Our government's commitment to build these ships in Canada should create 15 000 jobs and over $2 billion in annual economic benefits over 30 years," said the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence. "The strategy set forth by our government ensures that the Navy and Coast Guard have the ships they need to keep Canada safe while also revitalizing an important industry."
“Our Government is committed to providing our Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need to conduct their missions," said the Honourable Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, Q.C., Associate Minister of National Defence and Member of Parliament for Delta-Richmond East. "I am confident the Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships will give the Navy an unprecedented capability to operate in arctic ice conditions and enable them to have persistent northern presence during the arctic navigable season."
Last month, the Government of Canada awarded Irving Shipbuilding Inc. a contract, with a maximum value of $288 million, to complete the Canadian-developed, preliminary design for the Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships. This detailed and complex work is underway and progressing well. Refined cost estimates and construction schedules will, in due course, be informed by this completed design.
The Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ships will give the Royal Canadian Navy an unprecedented capability, to operate in the ice, in both the low Arctic and high Arctic, and to have a persistent Arctic presence during the navigable season. This will bolster the Government of Canada’s ability to deliver on its commitment to protecting and promoting Canada’s Arctic sovereignty on behalf of all Canadians, for generations to come. The Government of Canada has made Canada’s North a cornerstone of its agenda, and the Arctic/Offshore Patrol Ship project activities are aligned in support of this priority.
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