Ottawa to negotiate schedule for new icebreakers as existing fleet nears end of life

OTTAWA — The federal government says it doesn’t know when Quebec shipyard Chantier Davie will deliver a fleet of new icebreakers to the Canadian Coast Guard.

Officials say the schedule will depend on negotiations with the shipyard, which was formally added to Ottawa’s multibillion-dollar shipbuilding strategy last week.

There are long-standing concerns about the Coast Guard’s existing icebreakers and whether replacements will arrive in time.

Auditor General Karen Hogan noted in a report last year that the fleet is already on average more than 40 years old, increasingly prone to breakdowns and expensive to maintain.