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The Canadian navy’s last research vessel will be decommissioned, leaving the country’s defence scientists without their own ship to conduct research in the Arctic and other locations, according to documents leaked to Postmedia.

The Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel Quest, an oceanographic research ship used by the navy and Defence Research and Development Canada, was sidelined in 2014 as a result of cost-cutting by the Conservative government.

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Friday afternoon, an internal Department of National Defence (DND) email announced that the ship was being decommissioned.

In the email, Capt. Chris Sutherland, commander of the Canadian Forces Base Halifax, confirmed he had received a letter from Vice Adm. Mark Norman, vice-chief of the Defence Staff, about the fate of the ship.

They’ve refused to tell us anything and then on a Friday afternoon, just before a long weekend, they spring this on their employees

“I am now able to share with you the decision from the VCDS that CFAV Quest will be divested,” Sutherland wrote.