Ottawa asks defence contractors to make pitches for new submarine fleet

The federal government is asking defence contractors in allied nations about the sorts of submarines and maintenance capabilities they could offer Canada.

A request for information (RFI) — the first step in the formal process to replace the navy's four-decade-old Victoria-class submarines — was issued Sunday on the federal tendering website.

At the recent NATO summit in Washington, the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced it would proceed with the project but did not offer any concrete timelines.

The idea of acquiring new submarines was mentioned in last spring's defence policy update only as a possibility. But Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Bill Blair insisted in the aftermath of the policy's release that the project was more a question of when and how much, rather than if.

Still, the request for information does not commit Canada to moving forward. The RFI states responses to the fact-finding note «do not impose any obligation or constitute any commitment on the part of Canada to issue a Request for Proposal» — which would be the next step in replacing the fleet.

The federal government says it is looking to buy up to 12 conventionally powered submarines with under-ice capability.

There's no price tag on the proposal at the moment. The RFI will, among other things, help defence planners decide whether the country can afford that many boats and what would be required to sustain such a fleet.

The RFI expires on Nov. 18, 2024 and will include one-on-one consultations with submarine builders.

A statement issued by Blair's office Monday said that Canada's current submarines are expected to reach the end of their service life in the early 2030s.

«To avoid any gap in Canadian submarine capabilities,