No answers on why ships program so far behind

A time to fete trailblazers, legacies, Phedely Ariste says.

National defence says it doesn't know when it determined that a $70-billion project to buy new warships had fallen five years behind schedule, adding billions of dollars to the cost.

That lack of knowledge about a massive megaproject is unprecedented, according to the department's former top procurement official, and is further proof the Canadian Surface Combatant project has gone off the rails.

The Department of National Defence revealed Feb. 1 that the delivery of the first surface combatant ship would be delayed until 2030 or 2031. The first ship was to have been delivered in 2025, according to DND documents.

The five-year delay will cost taxpayers billions of dollars, but the specific amount has yet to be determined.

DND now acknowledges that while there were indications in early 2020 the project schedule was slipping, it doesn't actually know when it was determined the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program was facing significant delays.

“There was no specific month/ year,” DND spokesperson Jessica Lamirande wrote in an email to the Citizen. “It was an evolving schedule that continued to shift.”

But Alan Williams, the former assistant deputy minister in charge of procurement at DND, said that lack of insight by DND staff is dangerous. On major equipment procurements, every step should be documented, as bureaucrats could be called on to justify future spending decisions and overall management of a project, he said.

“It's totally absurd they can't even say when they first determined this project would be delayed by five years,” said Williams. “Is that not the definition of a total loss of accountability and control?”

The CSC project would see the construction of 15 warships for the Royal Canadian Navy at Irving Shipbuilding on the East Coast. The vessels will replace the current Halifax-class frigate fleet.

However, the project has already faced delays and significant increases in cost, which climbed from an original $14-billion estimate to $26 billion and then to $70 billion.

The parliamentary budget officer is working on a new report on the CSC cost, to be finished by the end of this month. Each year of delay could cost taxpayers more than $2 billion, the PBO warned previously.

Although the DND has a new delivery date for the initial ship in the fleet (2030-2031) that doesn't mean that the vessel will be ready for operations at that time.

“We expect delivery of the first ship in 2030/2031, followed by an extensive sea trials period that will include weapons certification and the corresponding training of RCN sailors, leading to final acceptance,” Lamirande said.

No dates were provided by Lamirande on when the final acceptance of the first ship would happen.

Troy Crosby, the assistant deputy minister of matériel at the DND, denied the CSC project is in trouble.

“I wouldn't call it trouble,” he said in an interview with the Citizen in November. “Is it hard? Is it challenging work? Absolutely. But I wouldn't say we're in trouble.”

Other defence analysts are arguing the CSC program is salvageable with better governance and oversight.

But Williams said the CSC is like a train rolling down a hill without brakes.

Canada has yet to sign a contract to build the Type 26 ship proposed by the consortium of Lockheed Martin and BAE for the CSC.

The unforgettable Tony- and Emmy-winning Black actress Cicely Tyson once said, “When you begin to think of yourself as having achieved something, then there's nothing for you to work toward. I want to believe that there is a mountain so high that I will spend my entire life striving to reach the top of it.”

Tyson captures my views on race relations as well as my larger mission to achieve racial equality.

Black History Month is a time to celebrate, emphasize and honour the ways in which Black people have contributed to Canada's society and legacy. In celebrating these achievements, Black history should be framed in its proper context. Black history is not just for Black people; Black history is Canadian history. Black History Month is not a celebration intended to preclude white or non-Black audiences from authentic dialogue or meaningful engagement.

This month is also a time to reflect on the trail-blazing lives of Black leaders and civil rights figures who came before me, and broke unprecedented barriers. As a Black Canadian and a son of Haitian immigrants, I recognize a story like mine is not possible without several Black Canadian leaders and personal heroes, including Lincoln Alexander, Viola Desmond and Jean Augustine, to name only a few. Their legacies have influenced me as well as many of my friends to believe in the prospect of a more just and more equitable country. I reflect with gratitude on their contributions to my story and the larger story of Canadian history.

Race remains a potent and at times divisive force in our society. In light of what was a transformative 2020 in race relations, it is our collective duty to approach Black History Month with a renewed sense of purpose and urgency. While well-intentioned on its face, activism should not begin and end with a hashtag. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery are just a few of the countless Black lives we have lost in the past

The work in achieving racial equality requires great efforts.

year who deserve more from each of us. In our personal inquiries here in Canada, we must also recognize that our country is not itself immune from anti-Black racism.

For Black History Month, let us avoid the drawbacks of racial apathy. Let us learn to carry out the simple daily acts of activism that perhaps no one will ever see. Let us muster the courage as a society to hold bold, educational conversations about the pervasive culture of racial bias and complicity. It is only through self-education, accountability and purposeful dialogue that we will achieve societal change and advance national discussions on race relations in Canada.

My message is clear. The work in achieving racial equality requires great efforts. The pursuit of justice is akin to an Olympic relay race. Each generation passes the baton along to the next. Black people cannot run alone. White and non-Black engagement is a necessary part of the solution. It is time we galvanize ourselves as a society in pursuing justice for all, including those who may not look like us or may hail from different communities.

To date, my larger undertaking has been to pick up the baton and run the race for racial equality like many of my predecessors. Black History Month is a time I encourage all, regardless of their race or station, to pick up the baton and run this race as well. We all have work to do in the pursuit of racial justice.

One month is not enough to measure the myriad contributions Black individuals have made to the world's cultural fabric. However, one month remains an ideal time for each of us to begin reflecting on how to engage more critically and constructively before passing on the baton to the next generation. Bigotry and racial discrimination should never have the last word. Phedely Ariste is an associate lawyer at Gowling WLG in the litigation department of the firm's Ottawa office. He received his law degree from the University of Ottawa, graduating magna cum laude.