Canadian Coast Guard: Government doing better that I thought

I was wrong in my interpretation at this post of planned CCG vessel acquisitions. As far as I can figure, this is the situation.

The government has re-announced (this technique makes keeping track of things confusing) the new CCG vessels promised in the recent budget.

The federal government followed through on a major budget promise on Thursday [April 12], announcing it will spend $324 million to purchase six new vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard.

The vessels, which will be phased into the existing coast guard fleet between 2009 and 2014 [the budget said they would be acquired over ten years - MC], will include four midshore patrol vessels [MSPV], one offshore science vessel and one hovercraft [the budget promised "six new large vessels"--I don't see how a hovercraft qualifies - MC; update--CBC goofed, see below].

Three of the vessels are bound for British Columbia, two are destined for Nova Scotia and one will go to Quebec.

All six will be built in Canada [emphasis added], which should boost the country's shipbuilding industry , said Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn...

The government will also redeploy two of its icebreakers from the Maritimes to Newfoundland and Labrador over the next two years.

Including this latest $324-million announcement, the federal government has now spent $750 million on the coast guard since February 2006, purchasing a total of 16 new vessels [emphasis added]. Eleven are being bought to replace aging vessels, while five are entirely new...

The penultimate sentence above is rather disingenuous since 10 of the 16 vessels were a Liberal commitment--see below.

I think I now understand where the sixteen vessels (12 MSPVs) are coming from:

The Liberal government announced in 2005 that it would acquire 8 MSPVs (4 for the St. Lawrence/Lakes to be operated in conjunction with the RCMP, plus 2 research vessels: total 10.

The Government of Canada announced in the Budget that the Canadian Coast Guard will receive $276 million over the next five years to begin the modernization of its fleet. Nationally, this will involve the acquisition of two fisheries-research vessels and four mid-shore fisheries patrol boats. Although plans could change based on shifting regional requirements, the current plan is to locate a science trawler and patrol vessel in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; a patrol vessel in Quebec City, and the three new vessels on the West Coast.

In addition to the $276 million for the six new vessels, the Coast Guard is also receiving funding for the acquisition and operation of four new mid-shore patrol vessels that will be used for security on the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The vessels will be jointly operated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This funding is part of the $222 million (on an accrual accounting basis over five years) allocated to federal security agencies to increase security on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River system and will provide the means for the federal security partners to work together more effectively on these waterways...

The Conservative government has added 4 MSPVs, 1 research vessel (update: actually 2, one fishery and one oceanographic--see below), and 1 hovercraft: total 6.

Overall total: 16.

Plus jobs and the expectation of votes. Surely it would be faster and cheaper to buy the vessels abroad. Now what about new icebreakers?

Update: Fact sheets on the different vessels are here. It appears there will be 16 large vessels after all: 12 MSPVs, 3 Offshore Fishery Science Vessels, and 1 Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel--and the hovercraft. The CBC report (first quote above) missed the third fishery science (research) vessel that was mentioned in Minister Hearn's April 12 news release, so the acquisitions actually total 17.

Boy is this confusing.

(H/t to newfin at Army.ca.)