Why does canada need submarines

Collins for the Toronto Star. In a country where foreign and defence policy issues rarely become voting matters, the federal election was a lesson in stark contrasts. Reflecting its diminished status as a credible global player, in both cases Canada was given little notice of U. At the heart of AUKUS is the transfer between the three countries of sophisticated military technology and know-how in cyber warfare, artificial intelligence and undersea naval capabilities.

Of these, the most important and technically complex is arguably the arrangement for Australia to build at least eight nuclear-powered attack submarines using American technology with British assistance. In doing so, Australia will join a very select club of just seven countries with nuclear-powered submarines, becoming the only member without nuclear weapons. The eventual costs for this trade are difficult to pin down, but already Australia has had to rip up an estimated 90 billion Australian dollar deal with France for a dozen diesel-electric submarines, creating a diplomatic row in the process.

But make no mistake, the Australian desire for advanced submarines is no mere coincidence. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Try refreshing your browser, or tap here to see other videos from our team.

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Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Thanks for signing up! Canada's unhinged housing market, captured in one chart. Suspicious package at Remembrance Day ceremony delays arrival of prime minister, governor general. On Jul. The political controversy surrounding the purchase of those four Victoria-class subs has led to a lack of movement on submarine procurement — compounded by the reality that Canada has never had a domestic submarine industry that would directly benefit from such a program.

But submarines matter, if our own governments are to be believed. The Defence White Paper issued by the current government further affirmed the importance of submarines as a core component of a balanced fleet, highlighting their vital contribution to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. And yet, no effort has been made to deliver on submarine replacements. Indeed, since the political temperature can reveal a lot about whether necessary military infrastructure will actually be approved, it is a grim sign that Ottawa remains mired in the Canadian Surface Combatant CSC program.

So far, 20 years of effort and billions in sunk costs have delivered exactly zero hulls. Avoiding that outcome in Canada will require buy-in from political leaders.