Government Operations committee  With these ships—bearing in mind, though, that the primary missions of these ships—

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, just to be clear, when I say limited in the Arctic, that's specifically and only with respect to the two AOP ships. The Coast Guard will continue to have icebreakers that will—

Government Operations committee  Okay. Understood. Mr. Chair, having said that, we haven't even taken delivery of them yet, and that won't happen until 2026, but it is envisioned that we would be operating in the Low Arctic because, notwithstanding that they have proven their ability to transit the Northwest Passage, from a Coast Guard mission accomplishment perspective, we would see them operating in the Low Arctic and between the—

Government Operations committee  In the Low Arctic, between the dates when the ice is out, say, in late April until late September—

Government Operations committee  Yes, we can operate in the Low Arctic until September, bearing in mind—

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, I just want to make sure I understand the question. Are you talking about the midshore patrol vessels we have?

Government Operations committee  First of all—

Government Operations committee  I think it needs to be understood initially that the AOPS are ice-capable, not icebreakers. There's a fundamental difference there. As it relates to the Coast Guard mission set, the two AOPS Coast Guard variants will have primary missions of offshore search and rescue and conservation and protection for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization.

Government Operations committee  There's a very well-established entry into the Arctic regime, much as there is for the naval variants or the AOPS. It depends on where in the Arctic, in fairness, but I think any time past late September would be a limiting date for their entry into the Arctic.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, with respect to the engagement with the indigenous populations on the west coast, we have an active program. The community boats program is an active program the Coast Guard is moving out. That's part of the oceans protection plan. Additionally, we continue to build the search and rescue lifeboats, and some of those will be deployed to the west coast.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, it's an insightful question as we go about the fleet renewal. Fleet renewal really speaks to the building of the ships, but that needs to necessarily be accompanied by the maintenance funding to support them in the long term, the additional operating expenses and the personnel costs as we grow the fleet.

Government Operations committee  Thank you for the question. In terms of the first multi-purpose vessel that will be delivered, we expect it to be in service in 2028‑2029. We are currently in the design stage. We won't be into a contract for the actual cutting of steel for that ship before probably 2025 or 2026.

Government Operations committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Indeed, the ships may look the same, but they will be fundamentally different. For example, we've taken the armament off the AOPS for the navy. We've put some bridge wings on to facilitate the way we operate in ice. There are some accommodation changes.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chairman, thank you for providing me with the opportunity to speak with you and the members of the committee regarding the national shipbuilding strategy. My name is Andy Smith, and I am the deputy commissioner of the Coast Guard in charge of shipbuilding and materiel. The Canadian Coast Guard's on-water missions, including aids to navigation, icebreaking, search and rescue, environmental response, fisheries conservation and protection, and ocean science, are fundamental to enabling the Canadian maritime economy, facilitating northern community resupply, supporting northern Arctic sovereignty, advancing the stewardship of our oceans and promoting maritime safety.

Public Accounts committee  With regard to the cost of the three medium icebreakers, I can get you the exact figure, but it was in the neighbourhood of $680 million.