Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canada to work with Finland, U.S. on 'Ice Pact' to build icebreakers

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 11 Jul, 2024 04:29 PM
  • Canada to work with Finland, U.S. on 'Ice Pact' to build icebreakers

Canada has signed a trilateral agreement with Finland and the U.S. to boost the production of icebreakers in an effort to safeguard the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

The "ICE Pact," as it's being called, is aimed at bolstering shipbuilding capabilities in the three countries to deter Russian and Chinese ambitions in the Far North.

An implementation plan will be developed in the next six months, the Prime Minister's Office said.

"In the Arctic, new, faster shipping lanes hold the potential to create new economic opportunities and drive down shipping costs. And in the Antarctic, our partnership can also foster increased scientific research and international collaboration," the PMO said in a statement Thursday.

The deal was signed on the sidelines of the NATO summit, which is wrapping up Thursday in Washington, D.C.

Finland is one of NATO's newest members, joining officially in April 2023, a year before Sweden. The addition of the two Nordic nations means that NATO now includes all Arctic countries except Russia, and the region has taken on new importance in the alliance.

The 32 allies said in their joint statement at this year's summit that Russia "remains the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security."

On Wednesday, defence ministers from Canada, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland took part in a panel discussion about Nordic security at the summit.

Canadian Defence Minister Bill Blair noted that with climate change accelerating in the North, experts believe the Arctic Ocean could be the primary transit route between Europe and Asia by 2050.

"As it becomes more accessible, security concerns become I think far more significant to us," he said, noting there are currently "huge gaps" in both security and presence in the North American Arctic.

"We have now got a united NATO presence from Russia's eastern shore to their western shore," Blair said.

China, which calls itself a "near-Arctic" nation, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia to work together in the Arctic and has started building icebreakers of its own. The two countries have been conducting naval patrols in the Bering Sea in recent years.

Senior U.S. officials who spoke to reporters about the deal said they anticipate allies will want to build between 70 and 90 icebreakers in the coming years and they want domestic shipyards to gain from that production.

The White House said allies will be invited to buy icebreakers from American, Canadian or Finnish shipyards. Expertise will be shared among the three countries by having skilled workers train in other shipyards.

Canada's national shipbuilding plan includes two new polar icebreakers, including one being built in Vancouver by Seaspan and one being built in Quebec by Chantier Davie, and a fleet of six program icebreakers by Davie.

Davie, which also has a facility in Finland, said in a statement that it is planning to take part in the pact. It said its Helsinki shipyard has built more than half the world's icebreaker fleet.

The U.S Coast Guard is building new heavy icebreakers out of a Louisiana-based shipyard, the first American-built ships of their kind in more than 50 years.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. government to set out housing targets for 20 more communities

B.C. government to set out housing targets for 20 more communities
The British Columbia government has named another 20 cities and towns as priority communities for housing targets over the next five years. The government says in a statement the communities are in high-growth, high-need regions of B.C.   

B.C. government to set out housing targets for 20 more communities

B.C. government sets November date for Surrey police transition

B.C. government sets November date for Surrey police transition
British Columbia's government has set Nov. 29 as the date when the Surrey Police Service will take over from the RCMP as the city's force of jurisdiction. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says Surrey RCMP will continue to operate and provide support after the official transition, although the Mounties will determine what type of support will be offered.

B.C. government sets November date for Surrey police transition

U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers have found a body: RCMP

U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers have found a body: RCMP
Police in British Columbia say United States authorities searching for a pair of missing kayakers have found a body in the San Juan Islands of Washington state. RCMP spokesman Cpl. James Grandy says searchers south of the border have not yet identified the person as one of the missing kayakers.

U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers have found a body: RCMP

Stabbing near White Rock Pier

Stabbing near White Rock Pier
Police in White Rock are looking for witnesses after a stabbing put a person in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. R-C-M-P say the stabbing happened late Sunday near WhiteRock Pier, and initial investigations indicate there was no confrontation before the attack.

Stabbing near White Rock Pier

B.C. to increase local milk production with $25-million factory investment

B.C. to increase local milk production with $25-million factory investment
The British Columbia government is spending up to $25 million toward the construction of a milk production plant aimed at boosting the supply of locally sourced food products. The province says in a statement that the expansion to Vitalus Nutrition's plant in Abbotsford, B.C., will begin construction this summer and will increase local milk production by 50 per cent, to 1.4 billion litres annually.

B.C. to increase local milk production with $25-million factory investment

Trudeau announces $5B-loan guarantee program for Indigenous communities

Trudeau announces $5B-loan guarantee program for Indigenous communities
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada is offering $5 billion in loan guarantees to support Indigenous communities seeking ownership stakes in natural resource and energy projects.  Trudeau says the program will help Indigenous peoples receive a fair share in Canada's economic growth.  

Trudeau announces $5B-loan guarantee program for Indigenous communities