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In Canada, it was almost immediately known that there were going to be problems. The submarines had been out of service for years, and had deteriorated. They also did not use technology that was fully compatible with existing Canadian systems. They have proved challenging to bring to full operational status. The fire on HMCS Chicoutimi in 2004 resulted in the death of one crew member and the submarine has not fully recovered. The other three have experienced serious problems with rust, electrical and propulsion issues, and it took years to arm the ships with modern torpedoes and firing systems.

The Harper government signed a $1.5-billion deal in 2008 to maintain the four beleaguered submarines, which we bought for $750 million. The cost rose to $1.7 billion and now it has been announced it will reach $2.6 billion.

The NSPS could have incorporated submarine construction in its original plan. And there is no reason why it cannot now

The Harper government also announced the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) in 2010, which aims to reinvigorate the fleets of the Canadian Coast Guard and the Navy. Interestingly, there was no mention of replacing our submarines. By 2041, when the plan is scheduled to be complete, these will be approaching 50 years old. To put this in context, it is typical for naval ships to be replaced when they reach 35 years. It is also typical that the ships will not have had nearly the troubled history of our subs.

The NSPS could have incorporated submarine construction in its original plan. And there is no reason why it cannot now. Australia just signed a deal with France’s DCNS group to build 12 new submarines at Australia’s Adelaide facility. The challenge for Canada, of course, is politics. Our military procurement is about “creating jobs” first, and arming our troops second.