Canada to spend $15.7B on new Coast Guard ships, Trudeau says

Canada plans to build up to 18 new Coast Guard ships at a cost of $15.7 billion, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday.

Up to 16 of the ships are to be constructed in a fleet renewal project anchored in Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards, while two others — Arctic patrol ships that will be modified for the Coast Guard — are to be built at Irving Shipyards in Nova Scotia.

 “Canadians deserve better than to have this fleet rust out,” Trudeau said Wednesday in Vancouver.   

Trudeau also announced the government is launching a competitive process for the design of a new class of smaller ships and will spend millions on refitting existing ships at shipyards across Canada. 

According to a news release from the Prime Minister’s Office, the government also intends to launch a competitive process to add a third Canadian shipyard as a partner under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

More to come

Article source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canada-to-spend-15-7b-on-new-coast-guard-ships-trudeau-says-1.5144903?cmp=rss