HMCS Shawinigan, based in Halifax, and 11 other coastal patrol ships were built in the mid-1990s. (CBC)

A shortage of money and sailors is forcing Canada's navy to mothball half its fleet of 12 vessels used to patrol the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

In a statement to CBC News, the navy said it made the tough choice to leave several of the 55-metre vessels at dock in Halifax and Esquimalt, B.C., and strip them of their crews because it doesn't have the resources to operate them all.

The navy said the move is necessary to continue the primary mission of defending Canada.

"Upon close examination of resources and priorities, this was deemed necessary to safeguard and optimize our operational capability, both now and in the future," wrote Denise LaViolette, a navy spokeswoman.

Three ships will remain on each coast. The others won't be scrapped, but they will be put in long-term storage.

The navy has not said how much money it would need to keep the whole fleet active or how much it will save by reducing the fleet by half.

The Kingston-class ships were built in the mid-1990s to hunt for mines that could block Canadian ports. They are lightly armed and can be converted to carry a small underwater robot or even platoons of soldiers.

LaViolette said the federal government is providing "stable and predictable" funding, and the navy continues to modernize its frigates and refit its submarines.

No warning

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter said he did not get any warning from Ottawa about the cuts — even though as the minister responsible for military relations, he is regularly briefed by Defence Department officials.

Dexter said he would have gladly helped Defence Minister Peter MacKay make the case for keeping the fleet intact.

"Minister MacKay would have my full support in making the case to the cabinet and the prime minister on the importance of naval operations — not just to this province, but to this country — and that anything that would lead to the paring down of operations would be of concern to us," the premier said.

Dexter plans to ask for details on this latest move by the military.

During question period in the House of Commons on Thursday, MacKay said the Conservative government has increased funding to the navy and will continue to do so.

"The reality is, the navy is getting $200 million more in its budget," he said.

On top of that, MacKay said the government plans to spend $40 billion on new ships over the next 20 years.

Liberal MP Keith Martin, who represents Esquimalt, a navy town in British Columbia, said the news of the cuts shocked him, coming on the heels of sweeping government promises to increase military spending and rebuild the navy.

"Why is this government choosing to gut our navy and put the lives of our brave men and women at risk?" Martin asked.

MacKay replied the government is investing in the navy.

"We're investing in the Canadian Forces in unprecedented numbers," he said. "The Canadian navy, in its 100th anniversary, will have more money than it's had in a 100 years."

But Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, in a letter sent fleet-wide, said the navy had to make some tough financial decisions.

"As with any large organization, DND continuously monitors its financial status, evaluates its expenditures against actual results and, as required, sequences its priorities accordingly," the commander of Maritime Command, wrote.

"Managing funding and assigning priorities is part of our normal cycle of business. I have made choices to ensure programs key to the future of the Navy remain protected and that required force generation and force employment capabilities are sustained within the boundaries of national procurement resources allocated to the Navy."

'Slap in the face'

Government budget figures published by the department show that spending this year has actually gone down. Last year, Canada's Maritime Forces were allocated $2.1 billion; this year this was down to $1.97 billion, with a further reduction planned for the following year.

The NDP's shipbuilding critic, Peter Stoffer, called the cuts a "slap in the face" to the men and women in the navy.

He said the navy was forced to mothball its ships because of government cutbacks.

"The Conservative government should hang their head in shame," Stoffer said. "I really feel for all sailors and military personnel who will be affected by this decision."

He said the decision will have an impact on the economies of both Halifax and Victoria, as well as the ability to adequately patrol Canada's coasts.