OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney has announced a contract worth more than $11 billion for Chantier Davie Canada Inc. to build six Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers in Lévis, Quebec.The federal government called it the largest shipbuilding contract in Quebec history, saying construction will begin in 2027, the first vessel will be ready by 2032 and the full fleet will enter service by 2038.Carney announced the contract Monday as his government seeks to expand Canadian industrial capacity and reduce the country’s economic dependence on the United States.“No matter the headwinds, the work of building Canada strong goes on uninterrupted,” Carney said during his speech at the Davie shipyard.“No matter the circumstances, Canadians will take charge of building our own future. And with our own hands, we are building here the vessels that will keep our waterways open — the waterways on which our trade depends.”The six Polar Class 3 vessels will replace aging heavy and medium Coast Guard icebreakers operating in Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence, the Great Lakes, the Pacific and the Arctic..The ships will be used to clear commercial routes, conduct search-and-rescue operations, respond to environmental emergencies, resupply northern communities and support Arctic research.“These six state-of-the-art icebreakers will keep the trade routes that carry Canadian goods to the world accessible and secure,” Carney said.“Built in Lévis by Canadian workers, they are a lasting investment in a stronger, more self-reliant Canada.”Carney said the project was about “building a strong Lévis, a strong Quebec and a strong Canada.”Ottawa said the contract will create nearly 5,000 jobs during construction and contribute about $650 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product.Under the government’s Buy Canadian policy, the ships are to be constructed with Canadian steel and other domestically sourced materials.The government said Canadian manufacturers, suppliers and small and medium-sized businesses will be given opportunities to participate in the project. It did not provide a detailed breakdown of the contract’s more than $11-billion cost.Defence Minister David McGuinty said the vessels would strengthen Canada’s economic security and presence in the Arctic.“These six new icebreakers will keep Canadian trade flowing, strengthen our presence in the Arctic, and give the Coast Guard the capability it needs for decades to come,” he said.The Coast Guard is a civilian service responsible for maritime safety, icebreaking, environmental response and other operations in Canadian waters.The government said the new vessels will help Canada maintain what it describes as NATO’s largest icebreaking fleet.The project was initially announced in 2019 as part of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.Ottawa awarded Davie a $19.6-million contract in 2024 to begin designing the six program icebreakers.The new vessels are separate from the Polar Max heavy icebreaker, for which Davie received a $3.25-billion contract in 2025.Davie has received more than $7.74 billion in federal contracts since 2012 to construct, repair and maintain ships for the Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy. That total does not include Monday’s new contract.The announcement comes as the Carney government promotes major federal procurement as a means of strengthening domestic supply chains following the collapse of trade negotiations with Washington.
