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The argument that every major federal purchase should be put up for tender in a full-on, formal bidding process is certainly valid. The contradiction here lies in the double standard: The NSPS itself was never subjected to a full, formal bidding process, but merely a capability assessment. This was the costliest naval rebuild in Canadian history. It was apportioned to yards on the east and west coasts with a view, not simply to meeting naval requirements, but also regional economic benefits, jobs, the strategic effect of reconstituting a domestic shipbuilding industry and, of course, politics.

It’s more than a little rich, therefore, to now argue similar considerations should be set aside in Davie’s case, with more than a thousand of its workers poised to begin retooling a tanker already purchased for the purpose, based on the government’s commitment.

Friday Quebec premier Philippe Couillard lashed himself to the mast, telling reporters, “we will simply not accept that there’s any change in the plan.” One suspects this, combined with the weight of a new 40-strong Quebec Liberal caucus, will mitigate against the delay being made permanent. But time is of the essence. A letter of intent expires at month’s end, with a break fee of $89-million. A tab that size, accompanied by yet another delay, would be an inauspicious debut for a government that has pledged for years to make procurement more efficient.

More worrying may be the ease with which this stoppage seems to have come about. James D. Irving, co-chief executive officer of Irving Shipbuilding, wrote a letter to Judy Foote, the minister of Public Services and Procurement, and Harjit Sajjan, the minister of national defence, and cc’d it to Scott Brison, president of Treasury Board and a prominent Nova Scotia Liberal, and Bill Morneau, minister of Finance. The letter, obtained by the National Post, is dated Nov. 17. It asks for a pause and review. Two days later, last Thursday, cabinet ordered the pause and review.

The Liberals may of course choose to rip up their predecessors’ clunky, hugely expensive, molasses-paced shipbuilding strategy in its entirety and start over. That might not be such a bad idea. In the meantime, if the government intends to stick within the existing envelope, it should focus on getting the Navy what it needs to do its job. Davie’s tanker project fits that bill. It should go ahead.