Ottawa will pay for repairs to Navy's new Arctic ships due to expired warranty

A senior defence official says Canadian taxpayers are on the hook when it comes to fixing at least two of the Royal Canadian Navy's new Arctic patrol vessels.

Defence Department deputy minister Bill Matthews says that is because the one-year warranty on those two ships has expired.

The federal government is planning to buy eight Arctic patrol vessels from Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding, including six for the Navy and two for the Canadian Coast Guard.

Three of the ships are finished, though Matthews told a parliamentary committee today that it will be up to Irving to fix the problems in the third ship and all others as they are still under warranty.

While a technical investigation into the ships was only recently completed, preliminary reports have identified issues with the ships' engine cooling and drinking water systems.

The Canadian Press reported last week that Ottawa is also on the hook for repairs to the Royal Canadian Air Force's Cyclone helicopters, one of which crashed off the coast of Greece in 2020.

Six Armed Forces members died in the crash.