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The Liberal government is facing a new challenge over a decision to award an Irving company the contract to provide emergency ship towing services on the West Coast as part of its plan to protect the country’s oceans.

The Canadian International Trade Tribunal has started a second inquiry into the government’s procurement process that awarded the $67-million contract to the Irving company Atlantic Towing. A rival bidder has questioned the ability of those ships to do the job.

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But Public Services and Procurement Canada says it remains confident its process was rigourous and fair. “The contract with Atlantic Towing Limited remains in place,” confirmed Marc-André Charbonneau, a department spokesman.

Photo by Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press

At the heart of issue is the government’s decision in the summer of 2018 to award a three-year contract to Atlantic Towing for the lease of two emergency offshore towing vessels that would operate in the waters off the coast of British Columbia. The vessels were to be capable of towing large commercial ships in distress, such as tankers and container ships, before they got too close to shore.