OTTAWA – POLITICS – Plans for expanding ship building by the federal Liberals are under fire from the Conservatives.
Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Conservative Shadow Minister for National Defence, Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Shadow Minister for Public Services and Procurement, and Rick Perkins, Conservative Shadow Minister for Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, issued the following statement regarding the Liberal shipbuilding announcement on Davie shipyards:
“In 2019, the Government of Canada announced that Davie pre-qualified to become the third strategic partner under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS). Today, almost two years later, the Government of Canada announced that it will begin negotiations with Davie, with an agreement expected by the end of 2022, if all goes well. This is a far cry from a commitment, let alone any tangible progress on the file.
“Conservatives support a National Shipbuilding Strategy that includes Davie Shipyards, and its dual goal of providing ships for our Navy and Coast Guard while securing jobs for Canadian industry. What is unacceptable and unfortunately all too common with this government is the repeated and costly delays, which have already cost taxpayers billions of dollars and created uncertainty for Canadian jobs.
“Today’s announcement continues this trend. We once again have more empty words and promises that amount to little more than pretending something is actually getting done. Canadians deserve a government that will deliver ships for our Coast Guard, protect national unity, and always put Canada’s national security first.
“Conservatives will continue holding Justin Trudeau accountable to ensure Canada’s shipbuilding program achieves its goals of producing ships for the Canadian Coast Guard, while supporting Canadian jobs, and respecting taxpayers.”
