7 November 2018. The recent announcement by the Minister of National Defence in Halifax Shipyards that a sixth Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) would be built and the welcome news for Davie and Vancouver Shipyards to administer the Halifax-class refits in the near future is great news for all shipyard workers and the Canadian shipbuilding industry as a whole. Yes, the 18 month gap between the conclusion of the AOPS project and the start-up of the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) project has been narrowed slightly, and this will keep a few more jobs in place, for the time being, but it is still ‘A Bridge Too Far.’ The ‘boom-to-bust’ cycle that has always loomed over our shipbuilding industry across Canada will still be there, and will raise its ugly head once again, if the Canadian government does not present a more permanent solution to this problem.
What is required by the government soonest, is to finally give some ‘teeth’ to our shipbuilding industry with an updated Naval Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). The question is: Is the government really serious about Canadian shipbuilding now and in the future or just paying lip-service to the masses? Anyone with vision can see that if we stay on this course, we will never kill this cycle of false hopes for all Canadians. A more realistic NSS would already have a new fleet of 12 modern strategic submarines in its policy to replace our beleaguered Victoria-class SSKs as part of its strategy, along with a programme to build a strategic amphibious sealift capability, such as three Juan Carlos-class LHDs. A second Polar-class icebreaker built in Vancouver, and repaired, refitted and upgraded in Halifax would be a great boost to the Canadian Coast Guard (CCS) as well.
Going hand-in-hand with this updated policy would be a structured repair, refit and upgrade policy for all our naval vessels in the future, for each shipyard. For example, the Vancouver shipyard would take care of most West Coast repairs, refits and upgrades of West Coast CCS ships with Halifax taking care of all East Coast CCS ships. Vancouver would refit, repair and upgrade the new Joint Support Ships (JSS). Davie Shipyards would build a second Resolve-class Interim AOR to augment the MV Asterix. The new Canadian Surface Combatant ship refits and equipment enhancements along with building, refitting and updates for the three new LHD ships could be shared between Halifax, Vancouver and Davie Shipyards. The new fleet of 12 modern submarines would have shared build/refit contracts between Halifax and Davie Shipyards. Any future ships envisioned by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) or CCG would go to tender for bidding by all three shipyards. This new build, repair, refit and upgrade policy would go a very long way to ensure a thriving shipbuilding industry was alive and well in Canada far into the future!
2 thoughts on “The Canadian Shipbuilding Gap”
Dear David Dunlop, thank you for your perspective on Canadian shipbuilding, the so-called gap and your desire for an update to the National Shipbuilding Strategy. You have outlined a most ambitious program of new federal fleet construction that includes 12 modern strategic submarines built in Canada for the first time in our history, strategic amphibious assets, and a second Polar-class icebreaker. Wow!
As you well know, none of this is in any current program plan for either DND or DFO (Coast Guard), and rather than being realistic as you suggest, I would offer it is not. Furthermore, what is already included in the current NSS projects may not be affordable when considering the fierce competition that will ensue as the CAF pursues Strong, Secure, Engaged (SSE). All services are challenged with human resources, and the CCG wrestles with justifying its own fleet re-capitalization. As to the gap mentioned in the combatant shipyard, where was it written or promised within NSPS (now NSS) that the selected shipyards in Canada would enjoy full uninterrupted employment? No government has defined this sector as more important than all others in Canada and nor should it. How are the two selected shipyards doing in advancing the commercial side of their new ship construction business, as a result of the strategy? This was a complementary objective of the NSPS. Nothing has been heard on this aspect now for several years.
As we head into the next federal election, I think the best we can hope for is timely resolution of several challenging issues facing the NSS projects and a commitment from all political parties to continue what has been started. Advocating for some of the new initiatives you have proposed is simply impractical, unaffordable and unaligned with the priorities of Canadians. Still – wishing and hoping can sometimes be therapeutic. As Francis Bacon observed, “Hope is a good breakfast, but it is a bad supper.”
Hello Howie Smith:
Thank you for responding to my article on the Canadian Shipbuilding Gap. If Canada were to increase its defence spending to at least 2% of GDP as has already been recommended by the Senate Committee Report on National Defence last year (Standing Senate Committee Report on National Security – Eleventh Report: Military Underfunded,”The Walk Must Match The Talk (Pg. 21, Recommendation 2, 2017) the aquistion of another Polar 8 icebreaker would be very feasible. What would happen if say, the new icebreaker being built on the West Coast were to become unserviceable for weeks or months at a time. There would be no heavy icebreaking services for ships trying to navigate the North West Passage and what happens to that service if the Polar 8 goes into a major refit? Again no services for any large ship. We simply need another large icebreaker at the very least. Canada can very easily produce a fleet of twelve modern AIP-equipped SSK submarines, with extensive under-ice capabilities as recommended again by the 2017 Senate Report on National Security and Defence. (Standing Senate Committee On National Security – Eleventh Report: Re-Investing in the Canadian Armed Forces: A Plan For The Future (Pg. 37-38, Recommendation 13, 2017). This again would be possible with at least a 2% increase in defence spending with no ill effects on Canada’s robust economy. The basic concept of the NSS was to break the “boom-to-bust” cycle we have been dealing with for far too long with all of our shipyards in Canada. To wish and hope that things will get better even with a Federal Election, is just not reasonable and is a defeatist attitude. Francis Bacon also said “There is no comparison between that which is lost by not succeeding and that which is lost by not trying” Cheers!