Prime Minister Mark Carney has revealed that the federal government will invest $11.3 billion into Quebec’s shipbuilding sector to construct six new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. Carney hailed this initiative as the most substantial shipbuilding deal in the province’s history.

These new vessels are slated to replace the aging heavy and medium icebreakers of the coast guard, as pledged in 2019. Carney emphasized a swift timeline, indicating that the first steel cutting will commence next fall, with the initial ship delivery expected five years later, and the entire fleet operational five years after that. The icebreakers will operate in Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence River during winter, and in the Arctic during summer.

The announcement was made in collaboration with Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette at the Chantier Davie shipyard in Lévis, the designated construction site for all six icebreakers. Fréchette, gearing up for a provincial election campaign, lauded the project as a significant milestone for Lévis, highlighting its role in safeguarding the province’s economic autonomy and generating employment opportunities for welders and technicians.

Carney estimated that the construction phase would create 5,000 jobs. The procurement of these vessels aligns with the federal government’s “Buy Canadian” policy, utilizing Canadian steel in the manufacturing process.

This development follows the breakdown of recent trade negotiations with the United States and renewed tariff threats from President Donald Trump against Canadian industries. Back in 2024, Ottawa had initially allocated $19.6 million to Davie under the national shipbuilding strategy to design the six new Polar Class 3 icebreakers. The coast guard’s fleet modernization plan, overseen by the national shipbuilding strategy, aims to introduce a total of 88 new vessels by 2045.