Germany, Norway on charm offensive in Ottawa as Canada shops for new subs

Prime Minister Mark Carney climbs out of a 212A class submarine under maintenance as he tours ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), a submarine building facility in Kiel, Germany, on Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

OTTAWA — Germany’s defence minister says the German firm bidding for Canada’s lucrative submarine contract would have no trouble doing the work on time and on budget.

Defence ministers from Germany and Norway are in Ottawa this week for meetings with Canadian ministers as the federal government shops around for a contractor to build a new fleet of submarines for the navy.

The two finalists for the contract are South Korea’s Hanwha and its KSS-III subs, and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and its Type 212CD subs, which are now being built for Germany and Norway.

While making a sales pitch to Canadian media, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said that if Canada desires it, TKMS could build some of the 212CD subs, or parts for them, in Canada.

His comments come days ahead of a trip Prime Minister Mark Carney is making to Asia, where he is expected to visit a Hanwha shipyard in South Korea.

Canada has only four submarines and they’re set to be retired from service by 2035, making the major procurement project a priority for the government as it rushes to find replacements.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press