HALIFAX – Questions swirled today about the future of the Irving Shipbuilding contract, after government briefing notes showed the budget is much higher than anticipated.
Cancellation of some of the projects was brought up in the Nova Scotia Legislature this afternoon. Opposition leader Jamie Baillie wanted to know if the Premier could guarantee that contracts would be honoured in the province.
“I think what the briefing note that the Honourable member is reflecting is the fact that they’re referring to the incompetence of the former federal government when it came to budgeting and there wasn’t enough money to fulfill that contract,” premier Stephen McNeil said Thursday.
“I fully expect, quite honestly, the prime minister to keep the commitment he made to the people and province of Nova Scotia.”
Halifax has a contract to build 15 frigates and six arctic patrol vessels at the Halifax shipyard.
A release from Irving Shipbuilding on Thursday afternoon echoed the premier’s confidence, saying they have no doubt the federal government will build all of the ships in the Halifax shipyard.
“The men and women of Irving Shipbuilding appreciate Prime Minister Trudeau’s firm commitment to building ships in Canada, expressed when he visited the shipyard in April,” the release says.
The release also said that hiring for the project is continuing. Irving Shipbuilding has hired 265 professionals and tradespeople so far in 2015, and awarded $900 million in contracts to Canadian companies, including $278 million in the province.
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