The order combines Coast Guard fleet renewal with Ottawa’s policy of expanding domestic industrial capacity through federal procurement. All six ships will use Canadian steel and other domestic materials under the government’s Buy Canadian Policy.
The programme is expected to support nearly 5,000 jobs during construction and contribute almost C$650 million annually to Canada’s gross domestic product. The government said it would maximise opportunities for Canadian manufacturers, suppliers and small and medium-sized businesses.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2027, with the first icebreaker expected to be ready five years later. The full six-ship fleet is due to enter service by 2038.
Nous construisons 6 nouveaux brise-glaces pour la Garde côtière canadienne.
Ils seront tous fabriqués au Canada, avec de l’acier canadien, au chantier naval Davie à Lévis, au Québec – et permettront de créer près de 5 000 bons emplois seulement pendant la construction.… pic.twitter.com/fZO2kKkBFy
— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) August 24, 2026
The vessels will replace ageing heavy and medium icebreakers that operate in Atlantic Canada and the St Lawrence during winter and in the Arctic during summer. Their duties include opening shipping lanes, assisting ships in distress and supporting vessels trapped in ice.
The new icebreakers will also conduct search and rescue, environmental response, northern resupply and Arctic science missions. Ottawa said the programme would reinforce Canada’s northern security and maintain its position as the home of NATO’s largest icebreaking fleet.
“These six state-of-the-art icebreakers will keep the trade routes that carry Canadian goods to the world accessible and secure,” Prime Minister Mark Carney said. “Built in Lévis by Canadian workers, they are a lasting investment in a stronger, more self-reliant Canada.”
“Canada’s economic security and national sovereignty depend on our ability to keep our waters open, secure, and moving,” National Defence Minister David J. McGuinty said. “These six new icebreakers will keep Canadian trade flowing, strengthen our presence in the Arctic, and give the Coast Guard the capability it needs for decades to come.”
Chantier Davie has received more than C$7.74 billion in Canadian government contracts since 2012 for work supporting the Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy fleets. The company also secured a C$19.6 million initial design contract for the six programme icebreakers in 2024 and a C$3.25 billion contract for the Polar Max heavy icebreaker in 2025.
“Today’s announcement of a contract for six program icebreakers builds on their strong record and will bring good-paying jobs throughout the supply chain, translating into real economic benefits in Québec and across the country,” said Joël Lightbound, minister of government transformation, public works and procurement. “The vessels themselves will secure our extensive coastlines and waterways, and contribute to a strong, sovereign Canada, long into the future.”
Canada first announced plans to acquire six programme icebreakers under its National Shipbuilding Strategy in 2019. It also signed the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact with the United States and Finland in 2024 to support co-operation on icebreaker design, construction, maintenance, workforce development and research.
