French nuclear submarines in Canada?

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  1. **French nuclear submarines in Canada?**

    *By Normand Lester*

    An important file on the desk of the new Minister of Defence Anita Anand. Last summer, Ottawa launched a study to buy patrol submarines. France is in line to win the contract. Emmanuel Macron hopes to meet with Justin Trudeau on the subject by the end of the year.

    The French are looking for buyers for their submarines after Australia’s rebuff, which decided not to buy 12 French submarines, preferring American nuclear submersibles.

    The Canadian Navy wants to replace its four submarines bought from the British in 1999 under Jean Chrétien. The British had given us wrecks, barely floating debris that had been rusting in dry dock since 1993. Pakistan, Portugal and Chile did not want them. They made us pay 750 million dollars for them. They will have ended up costing us nearly 4 billion dollars, even if they spent more time in dry dock than at sea. Perfidious Albion!

    **Will Ottawa buy French?**

    One of these old submarines even caught fire on its maiden transatlantic voyage in 2004, killing one crew member and injuring several others. It was not put back in the water until 2015. A British MP said that Canada had been duped and should demand a refund. No one has ever had to answer for this stupidly and catastrophically misguided purchase.

    If it really wants to have an operational submarine fleet soon, France is Canada’s best option. And selling submersibles to Canada would be a way for the French to thumb their nose at the Americans and the British.

    Specialists estimate that Paris would be able to deliver submarines 10 years ahead of its potential competitors, offering the latest generation of silent submersibles, the development of which has already been largely financed by the Australians. Discounts in prospect.

    **Nuclear submersibles: will Trudeau dare?**

    Quebec could benefit from the economic spin-offs of such a contract. The French submersibles will have to be fitted with equipment to meet the specifications of the Canadian Navy.

    As they did with the Australians, could the French propose nuclear-powered submarines to Ottawa? Already, in 1988, Canada considered acquiring French Rubis-class nuclear-powered submarines to patrol our Arctic waters.

    To convince Ottawa to buy their submarines, the French had even considered rigging them with an “ice pick” so they could be more easily deployed in polar seas.

    The project, which met with much opposition, was abandoned. The media and the public were uncomfortable with the word “nuclear” and the high acquisition costs. Most importantly, Washington told our then Defence Minister, Perrin Beatty, that a Canadian nuclear submarine program was “unnecessary and even unwelcome.

    Only the United States, France, the United Kingdom, China, Russia, India and soon Australia have nuclear-powered submarines.

    Translated with http://www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

  2. Lol, an ‘opinion’ article written by a 12 year old it seems. Well, I suppose he had to do something while Roblox was down.

  3. Seeing how the Canadians bought the U.K.’s last submarine and the new type 26 ships, why would they switch to France?

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