Estimated cost of warship fleet rises to $84B thanks to delays, inflation: PBO

OTTAWA — Parliament’s budget officer says delays and inflation are adding billions to the cost of building a new fleet of warships for the Royal Canadian Navy.

In a report released this morning, budget officer Yves-Giroux estimates the government will pay more than $84 billion for 15 new warships.

That represents a nine per cent increase over the $77-billion estimate that Giroux produced last year for the new vessels, which are slated to be built in Halifax.

The federal government has acknowledged that its $60-billion budget, which was set in 2017, is no longer adequate.