Ottawa awards $3.25B contract to Quebec-based Davie shipyard to build new polar icebreaker

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 08, 2025 1:43 PM EST | Last Updated: March 8

The national government has handed a $3.25 billion contract to the Davie Shipyard successful Lévis, Que. to physique a caller polar icebreaker by 2030.

"This polar icebreaker volition beryllium among the largest and astir analyzable ever built connected the planet," said Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos at a quality league successful Lévis connected Saturday morning.

An icebreaker is simply a vas designed to navigate and chopped done heavy crystal that obstructs frozen waters. 

Another polar icebreaker volition beryllium built simultaneously at Seaspan's Vancouver Shipyards. Duclos explained that the Canadian Coast Guard volition beryllium capable to usage the 2 ships successful exigency situations successful Canada's Arctic to behaviour year-round missions to support northern communities and technological research, and to guarantee the country's Arctic sovereignty. 

"This volition springiness Canada entree to the Arctic and the High Arctic astatine each times and successful each circumstances for the archetypal clip successful the country's history," said Duclos.

"This is peculiarly applicable successful the contiguous context, wherever Canadian sovereignty is threatened by increasing planetary tensions."

The operation of the PolarMax is expected to create 3,250 "direct and indirect jobs" per twelvemonth betwixt 2025 and 2030 and to add $440 cardinal to Canada's GDP annually, according to Duclos.

More than 70 per cent of the enactment volition beryllium done in the state and the remainder of Canada. Canadian workers volition besides enactment with their Finnish counterparts to physique portion of the icebreaker successful Finland. 

Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters this occupation instauration comes astatine a "good time." 

"With Mr. Trump, there's a important hazard that jobs volition beryllium mislaid successful the manufacturing assemblage arsenic a effect of the tariffs that volition beryllium enactment successful spot and the simplification of our exports to the United States," said Legault. 

Duclos noted that the PolarMax volition withstand impacts and utmost vibrations successful precise acold temperatures and done crystal up to three metres thick for a minimum lifespan of 40 years.