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Carney Commits $11.3 Billion for Six Icebreakers to Be Built in Quebec

The investment mandates Canadian steel, promises about 5,000 construction jobs, and replaces aging Coast Guard icebreakers to secure winter shipping routes and Arctic operations.

Prime Minister Mark Carney, centre left, speaks as he announces a $11.3 billion contract for icebreakers at the Davie shipyard in Levis, Quebec on Monday, August 24, 2026. Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement, left, Quebec Premier Christine Frechette, and Quebec Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy and Minister Responsible for Maritime Strategy Bernard Drainville look on. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot
Prime Minister Mark Carney is silhouetted as he gives a statement after touring Global Container Terminals' Deltaport facility, at Roberts Bank in Delta, B.C., on Thursday, July 30, 2026.
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks about Canada's response to new U.S. tariffs during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Patrick Doyle

Overview

  • Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the $11.3-billion construction contract on Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, awarding Chantier Davie in Lévis, Quebec, the work to build six Polar Class 3 icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard.
  • The government set a firm delivery timetable with first steel to be cut next fall, the first ship due five years after steel cutting, and the full six-ship fleet entering service five years after the first delivery.
  • Ottawa says the project will use Canadian steel under its Buy Canadian policy and will support about 5,000 jobs during construction, with roles for welders, technicians and shipbuilders.
  • The vessels are intended to replace the coast guard’s aging heavy and medium icebreakers and to keep the St. Lawrence, Atlantic shipping lanes and seasonal Arctic operations open and serviced year to year.
  • The announcement follows a 2024 $19.6-million design contract to Davie and was framed by the government as both industrial policy and a response to recent trade tensions with the United States involving President Donald Trump, a dynamic that could shape future procurement and tariff decisions.