Senator Gold: The government is committed to building a world-class marine industry through the National Shipbuilding Strategy. To achieve that, and to meet the evolving needs of the Canadian Coast Guard, the government, I’m advised, is moving forward with the construction of two polar icebreakers at Canadian shipyards — at Davie shipyard in Lévis, and Seaspan in Vancouver. It will be done under the auspices of the National Shipbuilding Strategy to support communities, the High Arctic, science and Canadian sovereignty in the North.

Senator Plett: Government leader, in 2019, the government announced that it would add a third shipyard to the National Shipbuilding Strategy specifically for the purpose of building icebreakers. That shipyard was to be Davie Shipbuilding in Quebec.

In 2020, the government indicated that an agreement with Davie, adding it as a third shipyard, would be initiated by the end of 2020. Nothing happened, government leader.

In 2021, the government publicly stated that an agreement with Davie, adding it as a third shipyard, would be initiated by the end of 2021. Again, nothing happened.

Now, this past June, the government said once again that an agreement with Davie would be reached by the end of this year. Government leader, is something actually going to happen this year or will there just be another promise next year?