Government Operations Committee on June 2nd, 2016

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

In the national shipbuilding strategy, there are delays. If I take the icebreaker, for example, we are now told that it could take a year before we get this icebreaker. Is it changing your plan? You are building a facility in the north, but could the facility be built and there would be no ships because the strategy is not delivering on time. Is it something you are adjusting to?

[James Paul]

DND would be adjusting the program requirements based on what it needs. The Nanisivik facility, which, you're correct, we're building, is a relatively small facility. It had already been reduced in scope to be essentially a refuelling facility and an upgrade to the existing jetty. It's smaller than the original project that DND envisioned. That's what we're delivering.

The larger support projects for the shipbuilding program are in Halifax and Esquimalt, on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Right now they're in the design and procurement phase for the new jetties there, which are roughly $200 million and $400 million projects, respectively, just for the jetty replacement. They are in the design and procurement phase only, and they will be aligned with the time schedule by DND.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Excuse my misunderstanding.

When you say jetties, are you talking about wharves?

[James Paul]

A jetty is a dock.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Are you planning to postpone the construction of those jetties, since those ships could arrive later than scheduled, or has there been some adjustment to make the spend, to build the bridge, as we say, when we get to the river? It may take longer.

[James Paul]

Only if our client partner asked us to postpone.... At this point, the design phases are still proceeding, so the design can still be made ready, but the construction phase will be based on their best estimate of timing.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

So far you are in the design phase, but you have not yet figured out when you would go and construct those jetties.

[James Paul]

The larger project, the west coast one, is not yet awarded for construction. The Atlantic one is going ahead just now with construction, so the construction phase is ready to proceed.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

You're constructing the jetty and expecting that the fleet will come.

[James Paul]

One of the nice things is that the new requirements for these jetties have them as multi-platform jetties. In the old days, they would build a jetty specifically for one type of vessel. The new jetty designs will take multiple platforms, so they can be used for existing and new ships.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Yasmin Ratansi]

Thank you very much.

I thank the witnesses for being here and the committee for participating.

We will suspend for two minutes and go in camera.

[Proceedings continue in camera]