Navy commander says he wants a ‘Canadian from the core’ corvette fleet

Royal Canadian Navy Commander, vice-admiral Angus Topshee, speaks during a launch and naming ceremony for the new Royal Canadian Navy Joint Support vessel HMCS Protecteur, at Seaspan Shipyards in North Vancouver, B.C., on Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

OTTAWA — The commander of the Royal Canadian Navy says the service is working to narrow down what it wants from a new fleet of continental defence corvettes it’s hoping to acquire about a decade from now.

Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee tells The Canadian Press he’s looking for ships with a long range that pack a punch in combat and can also deal with Arctic ice.

That likely will result in a set of requirements unique to Canada’s military.

Topshee says the navy wants the ships to be “Canadian from the core” and “absolutely built in Canada,” wherever possible.

The navy is still in the early stages of its search for a dozen or more corvette warships that would be smaller than frigates - one of the next major procurement projects the military is expected to pursue after it settles on a new fleet of submarines.

The current Kingston-class coastal defence vessels are approaching the end of their lifespans, with eight of the twelve ships leaving service this fall and the rest expected to retire by 2029.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 22, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press