(Ottawa) Senior Canadian and U.S. government officials say a new trilateral agreement with Finland will help the allies build icebreakers to protect the Arctic.
The “ice pact,” as it is called, aims to strengthen the shipbuilding capabilities of the three countries in order to deter Russian and Chinese ambitions in the Far North.
The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the NATO summit, which ends Thursday in Washington.
Finland is one of NATO’s newest members.
U.S. officials who spoke to reporters about the deal said they expect the allies to want to build between 70 and 90 icebreakers in the coming years and want domestic shipyards to benefit from that production.
Canada’s shipbuilding plan includes two polar icebreakers to be built in Vancouver and a fleet of six program icebreakers to be built in Quebec.
“We are committed to intensifying our cooperation to ensure that the polar and Arctic regions remain peaceful, prosperous and collaborative,” the leaders of the three countries said in a joint statement.
They add that this “ice pact” and the construction of new icebreakers will allow in the Arctic to find “new faster maritime routes” which would bring new economic opportunities, in addition to reducing transport costs. In the Antarctic, the pact also aims to “promote scientific research and international collaboration.”