Question Period Note: Canadian Patrol Submarine Project

Canada has identified German company Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) supported by Germany and Norway, and Korean company Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd., supported by the Republic of Korea, as the two qualified suppliers for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. Proposals from both qualified suppliers were received on March 2, 2026, and a decision on a Preferred and Reserve Supplier is anticipated as early as summer 2026.

• Canada has the largest coastline in the world, and it is essential that the Royal Canadian Navy be equipped with superior underwater surveillance capability to maintain our country’s security and sovereignty
  • The Navy’s current Victoria-class submarine fleet is scheduled to be decommissioned in the mid-2030s, and replacement submarines are needed
  • The Government of Canada has identified two qualified suppliers in order to progress and accelerate their replacement by no later than 2035 to ensure a continuous Canadian submarine capability

Through Canada’s defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free, the Government of Canada is providing members of the Royal Canadian Navy with the equipment they need to maintain current and future operational readiness.

Canada’s key submarine capability requirements will be stealth, lethality, persistence and Arctic deployability—meaning that the selected submarine must have extended range and endurance.

Through the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, Canada will acquire a larger, modernized submarine fleet that will provide a unique combination of these capabilities to ensure that Canada can detect, track, deter and, if necessary, defeat adversaries in all three of Canada’s oceans while contributing meaningfully alongside allies and enabling the Government of Canada to deploy this fleet abroad in support of our partners and allies.

The Government of Canada remains committed to engaging Canadian industry and creating high-paying jobs at home through the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project. As such, Canada intends to leverage work on the submarines to generate economic benefits for Canada’s marine and defence industry throughout the fleet’s operational life.

• The two qualified suppliers submitted proposals to Canada on March 2, 2026. This was followed by a Proposal Clarification Phase where Canada engaged with qualified suppliers to better understand the content of their proposal
  • Following the clarifications phase, Canada initiated a Proposal Amendment Period from April 8 to 29, 2026, where qualified suppliers may amend their proposal to improve their offer and to better align with the recently released Defence Industrial Strategy
  • Canada expects to complete evaluations and identify Preferred and Reserve Suppliers as early as summer 2026. Formal negotiations with the Preferred Supplier would follow with an aim to secure an agreement by the end of 2026