By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada on Thursday promised to build two Arctic ice breakers and create hundreds of jobs in two politically influential provinces that will help decide an election considered likely this year.
The Liberal government, citing the need to increase Canada’s footprint in the resource-rich Arctic as global warming opens up the region, said at least one ship would be ready by 2030.
“(This) will give Canada a year-round presence in the Arctic to help … safeguard our marine environments, ensure the safe and efficient movement of ships, and protect our borders,” Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in a statement.
Ottawa said each ship will generate 300 jobs and create another 2,500 positions in various supply chains. One vessel will be built in Quebec’s Davie shipyard and the other by Seaspan in British Columbia.
The two provinces together account for 120 of the 338 seats in the House of Commons and are crucial to the fortunes of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who aides say is likely to call an election by end-2021.
Yves-Francois Blanchet, leader of the opposition Bloc Quebecois, dismissed the announcement as electoral politics, saying polls suggested some senior Quebec Liberals could lose their seats.
The ice breaker project has been hit by several delays since the previous Conservative government first announced it in 2008.
Officials declined to say how much each vessel would cost but said it would exceed the most recent estimate of C$1.3 billion ($1.1 billion), which was made in 2012.
The 150-meter (490 feet) ships will weigh 23,700 tonnes and – unlke Canada’s sole existing ice breaker – are designed to operate year-round throughout the Arctic.
Russia and the United States are the other major Arctic players while China says the region is of strategic interest.
($1 = 1.2193 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by David Gregorio)
