The federal government has awarded an $11.3-billion contract to Quebec’s Chantier Davie shipyard to build six new Polar Class 3 icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard, described as the largest shipbuilding contract in Quebec’s history. Construction is expected to begin with the first steel cut in fall 2027, with the first vessel delivered five years later and all six operational within a decade, supporting about 5,000 jobs and more than 1,500 Canadian suppliers. Built with Canadian steel under Ottawa’s “Buy Canadian” policy, the vessels will replace ageing Coast Guard icebreakers and operate in Atlantic Canada, the St. Lawrence and the Arctic. The investment forms part of Canada’s broader fleet renewal and complements the Canada-US-Finland ICE Pact aimed at expanding North American icebreaker capacity.
