Christyn Cianfarani, President and CEO of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), issued the following statement today in response to the federal government’s awarding of the design contract for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC).

“Today's announcement by the Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding represents another significant step forward for the CSC program, and for the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) as a whole.

This is nothing short of a nation-building project; one that we are confident will stimulate economic growth while benefiting the men and women of our Canadian Armed Forces for decades to come.

CADSI has consistently supported the core principles and objectives of the NSS, which include ensuring that the recapitalization of the Royal Canadian Navy and Coast Guard will be carried out here at home, thus bringing an end to the boom-and-bust cycles that have characterized Canadian shipbuilding in the past. As a country with some 58,000 kilometers of mainland coast on three oceans, Canada needs and deserves a first-rate Navy along with a permanent and sustainable domestic naval shipbuilding industry to support it. 

CADSI fully expects that Canadian companies and workers will play a key role during the design and construction of these ships, as well as throughout their lifespans, and will continue to push for that as the CSC program enters this newest phase.”