Is the promise of military icebreakers political theatre or sensible policy?

Murray Brewster · CBC News

· Posted: May 09, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A erstwhile apical naval commandant and respective defence experts person been near scratching their heads pursuing the governing Liberals and Opposition Conservatives' caller clasp of the conception of giving the Royal Canadian Navy heavy, equipped icebreakers to support the Arctic.

They question the subject sensibility of gathering — perchance astatine a outgo of billions of dollars — one, 2 oregon adjacent 3 10,000-tonne oregon much polar-class icebreakers with guns and missiles, vessels with perchance constricted usefulness that would beryllium susceptible to some aerial and submarine attack.

"I'm puzzled, due to the fact that I don't cognize what it is we're trying to execute different than the governmental nonsubjective of demonstrating a committedness to Arctic sovereignty. Check. I get it. However, it needs to beryllium sensible, and much importantly, it needs to beryllium practical," said retired vice-admiral Mark Norman successful a caller interview.

Canada's defence successful the Far North was a taxable brought up erstwhile Prime Minister Mark Carney met with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office connected Tuesday. A elder Canadian authorities authoritative said the 2 leaders spent a batch of clip talking astir the Arctic.

During the precocious concluded national predetermination campaign, the Liberals promised to "expand the capabilities of the navy with caller submarines and further dense icebreakers," portion the Conservatives were much explicit, saying they would physique 2 further polar icebreakers for the military.

If the committedness of dense militarized icebreakers sounds familiar, it's due to the fact that it was made before. Back successful 2006, the erstwhile Conservative authorities of premier curate Stephen Harper rode to powerfulness connected a pledge to physique dense subject icebreakers for the navy.

Ultimately, the precocious operation outgo and the information the vessels would person inferior lone 4 months of the twelvemonth led to the plan and instauration of Arctic and offshore patrol ships (AOPS), airy icebreakers which tin run and patrol disconnected each 3 of Canada's coastlines. The navy plans connected deploying six AOPS and the seashore defender is expected to person two.

For Norman, determination is simply a consciousness of déjà vu about the renewed debate.

"We went done this precise contented successful 2007-08 up to the 2010-12 timeframe, wherever we had a authorities of the time that was rather explicit astir what they wanted, but couldn't explicate wherefore they wanted it," said Norman.

"I get it, the authorities gets to decide. But astatine the extremity of the day, it doesn't marque a batch of sense."

The seashore defender is usually the location of Canada's unarmed icebreaking fleet. The Liberals, however, person promised to rewrite the service's mandate to behaviour maritime surveillance and integrate them into Canada's NATO defence capabilities. Whether that means arming them is unclear.

Norman said determination needs to beryllium a wide part of responsibilities betwixt the navy and the seashore guard.

"We request to determine what we're trying to achieve. If it's surveillance, there's tons of different ways to execute surveillance," said Norman. "I'm acrophobic due to the fact that arsenic soon arsenic we database things that we privation to buy, we suffer way of what it is we're trying to achieve. And past the full machinery [of government] becomes focused connected buying thing which whitethorn oregon whitethorn not marque sense."

Canada, with 18 registered ice-capable boats, has the second-largest fig of icebreakers successful the satellite aft Russia, which reportedly has 57. And lone 1 of those Russian ships, the Ivan Papanin, is specifically built for combat and has conscionable precocious entered service. China has a fistful of mean icebreakers successful its navy.

Overall, though, large icebreakers — with reinforced hulls and peculiar bows — are bully for opening up Far North channels. They are dilatory and noisy, not precisely qualities you privation successful a combat vessel. 

 'Offerings into the void'

If the nonsubjective is surveillance and deterrence successful the Far North, defence adept Rob Huebert said, Canada would beryllium amended served with investing successful under-ice susceptible submarines.

"If you are really successful a shooting conflict, you're going to find retired wherever the icebreaker is close away," said Huebert. "If you're going to beryllium putting wealth into something, enactment it into a submarine and springiness it immoderate signifier of possibly anti-missile capability."

Wesley Wark, 1 of the country's starring experts connected quality and surveillance, said Canada's attack to the Arctic has to beryllium rooted successful what makes consciousness for the defence of the country, not what looks bully to the Americans — particularly the existent medication which seems to person nary overarching program of its own. 

"I deliberation it dangerous for Canadian officials, for the existent government, to ideate that determination is simply a maestro program and effort to fig retired ways successful which they tin respond to that maestro plan," said Wark.

"Because I deliberation that ends up being what I would telephone offerings into the void."

He pointed to the determination by the Trudeau authorities to lease aged Black Hawk helicopters for borderline surveillance successful the aftermath of the Trump administration's imposition of tariffs — a determination Wark described arsenic governmental theatre.

There are, however, those who accidental the beingness of Canadian ships successful the North is essential. The much Canada shows the flag, the better, said Dave Perry, president of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

"I deliberation determination is simply a request to person a much significant, much imperishable beingness crossed our full Arctic archipelago," Perry said successful a caller interview. 

"That could travel successful a vessel that's painted navy grey oregon a vessel painted seashore defender reddish and white, truthful agelong arsenic it really has the quality to meaningfully summation our beingness twelvemonth circular passim our full territory and assistance america recognize what's happening there."