Canada's navy cuts coast patrol fleet in half
Last Updated: Thursday, May 13, 2010 | 10:41 PM AT
CBC News
Related
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
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.
Share Tools
Latest Nova Scotia News Headlines
- Irving lays off 44 at Halifax shipyard
- Dozens of Irving Shipyard workers were laid off Friday after several projects were completed. more »
- Dartmouth students prepare for robot competition
- Students at Auburn High near Dartmouth, N.S., are making final adjustments to their underwater robot ahead of an international competition in Florida. more »
- Halifax police warn of sex offender's release
- Halifax police issued a warning Friday about a man released from prison for offences against children. more »
- Sunken boat refloated in Sydney Harbour
- A half-sunken boat abandoned in Sydney Harbour several years ago was refloated Friday in the first step toward removing the eyesore. more »
Top News Headlines
- Employment Insurance review boards to be scrapped
- The federal government is scrapping two review boards used by people appealing decisions made about their employment insurance. more »
- Teens share bullying tales in confession booth
- Raw stories about bullying emerged when a video booth was set up inside a Quebec high school. more »
- Serial carjacker gets life term for fatal crash
- An Ontario judge was moved to tears while delivering a life prison sentence to a serial carjacker who killed a woman and injured five others after driving a stolen van into her car during a 2010 police chase. more »
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
- The federal government is shutting the Canadian consulate in Buffalo less than two years after costly renovations, while dropping a requirement for visas to be renewed outside the country, CBC News has learned. more »
- Police find missing East Dover woman
- 902 numbers running out in N.S., P.E.I.
- Halifax police warn of sex offender's release
- New EI rules worry seasonal workers in N.S.
- N.S. man acquitted in boy's 2010 death
- Shots fired on Quinpool Road in Halifax
- RCMP to close labs in Halifax, Winnipeg, Regina
- Canadian Hurricane Centre predicts 9 to 15 storms in 2012
- Paul Martin, Scotty Bowman among Order of Canada recipients

