Lévis, Québec – Davie, Canada’s largest and highest capacity shipbuilder, announced that the Government of Canada has officially confirmed its progress to the final stage of becoming a National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) partner. This will see Davie deliver to Canada a range of vessels including a new fleet of state-of-the-art heavy icebreakers.  

Davie will now begin negotiating an umbrella agreement with the Government of Canada, with completion later this year. 

“After a rigorous process, we are proud that Canada has confirmed that our submissions were fully compliant. We commend the government for this vote of confidence in our experience, our expertise and our amazing people,” said James Davies, President and CEO of Davie Shipbuilding. 

Davie’s entry to the NSS will bring major long-term economic benefits to Québec and Canada as a whole. It will create or sustain up to 5,000 jobs, according to recent independent analysis. This will include well-paid, long-term careers for Davie’s highly skilled shipbuilders, who recently agreed to a historic nine-year union collective agreement. Davie’s 1,500+ pan-Canadian supplier network will directly benefit from the huge uptick in activity. 

“This historic announcement is a testament to the hard work of everyone associated with Davie. We are now a huge step closer to delivering a new fleet of advanced, mission-critical vessels, including icebreakers which will help protect and promote Canada’s interests in its domestic waters including the St. Lawrence, the Arctic, and beyond,” added Mr. Davies. 

In the future, Davie will be central to the development of a cleaner, greener, sustainable marine industry that will serve Canada’s economic, social and geopolitical interests. It will foster innovation and create global export potential for highly specialized products technologies and services made in Canada.