Shipbuilding in Gaspé: Jobs, growth and community pride

Prior to the COVID-19 shutdowns of public gatherings, the entire town of Gaspé, Quebec, was invited to see one of the search and rescue lifeboats Chantier Naval Forillon built for the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG). The company never dreamt it would attract such a large group of people.

The Director of Operations for Chantier Naval Forillon, Jean-Daniel Minville, was stunned at the size of the crowd that came for a look at the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Conception Bay before it headed to a new home on the Atlantic Coast.

In 2015, Public Services and Procurement Canada awarded a $45.8 million contract to Chantier Naval Forillon, under the small vessel shipbuilding projects of the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS), for 6 new search and rescue lifeboats for the CCG. An additional 4 boats were purchased at a later date, for a total of 10. All 10 lifeboats will be named after a bay in Canada and will be completed by 2024.

Why we need these vessels

The CCG needed bigger, faster and more powerful search and rescue lifeboats to better respond to emergency calls. Each boat will be based at shore stations and used for search and rescue missions on the water, responding to marine distress calls or assisting disabled vessels.

The new boats can withstand rough seas and poor weather and are built to self-right quickly after capsizing. Compared to the older models, the new design will help extend the life of the boats so they can operate for up to 10 years longer before requiring repairs.

On an average day, the CCG responds to 13 search and rescue calls. The new, more powerful boats will help the CCG respond more efficiently to these calls by allowing the CCG to tow most fishing boats and travel to and from Canada's 200 nautical mile limit and back without refuelling.

Shipbuilding supporting economic growth

Chantier Naval Forillon, located near the commercial shipping corridor of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, has become a well-known name in Gaspé. Since 1952, it has built, repaired and maintained a large variety of boats.

Beginning with the initial NSS contract in 2015, the company's capacity, business and number of employees have doubled. It also became an enormous source of pride for Gaspé and the surrounding regions by improving the local economy and attracting more high-skilled workers, including naval engineers and architects.

Building lifeboats for the CCG now accounts for more than 60% of Chantier Naval Forillon's work. The shipyard was able to create new jobs and now employs about 80 people full-time. In fact, the company has hired its first human resources director to help plan its talent management and hiring moving forward. 

“It's had a big financial impact on the community,” said Minville. “We have attracted around 35 new employees to move here with their families. People from town are eager to see the lifeboats completed, and everyone is talking about how proud they are of our work.”

For more information, visit the National Shipbuilding Strategy.