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OTTAWA — A Finnish company has raised red flags over the Trudeau government’s decision to launch negotiations with Quebec shipyard Davie for the lease of four icebreakers without conducting a competition.

Helsinki-based Arctia Ltd. says it had expected a formal bidding process after the federal government asked shipowners in late 2016 to provide information about the icebreakers that they have available for lease.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau instead surprised many when he announced that the government would start talks Friday with Davie, which has proposed converting four icebreakers and leasing them to the Canadian Coast Guard.

The announcement followed growing concerns about the coast guard’s aging icebreaker fleet, and an intense lobbying campaign by the Quebec government on Davie’s behalf.

It also came despite an RCMP investigation that Vice-Admiral Mark Norman leaked cabinet secrets to Davie in November 2015 to keep the Liberals from cancelling another shipbuilding project.