South Korea's Hanwha Ocean and Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, or TKMS, are the two finalists for the multibillion-dollar contract, with Ottawa expected to make a decision within weeks.
But as the selection nears, attention is increasingly shifting from the submarines themselves to whether Canada can build the infrastructure, workforce and alliance networks needed to sustain them for decades.
Ottawa is considering two sites in the Halifax region for a new submarine maintenance facility to support the future fleet, The Globe and Mail reported, citing an internal federal document.
The facility would operate under a government-owned, contractor-operated model, with Ottawa funding the infrastructure and a private company managing day-to-day operations.
But the plan has raised concerns at Irving Shipbuilding, Halifax's largest naval contractor, which is already preparing to expand production of 15 River-class destroyers under a program valued at about C$60 billion ($43.7 billion).
Irving argues that a separate submarine maintenance operator could recruit workers from its Halifax shipyard at a time when both programs will require hundreds of additional tradespeople.
More than 1,000 new skilled workers could ultimately be needed across the submarine facility and Irving's surface ship program, according to the report.
Marine pipefitters, hull fabricators and advanced systems engineers cannot be trained quickly, raising concerns that the two projects could end up competing for the same limited pool of workers.
"If you announce submarines on Wednesday, you don't have the people to fix them on Thursday," Jean-François Séguin, Irving Shipbuilding's vice president for government relations and communications, said.
Irving has asked the federal government to include it in discussions on the submarine maintenance workforce and expand existing apprenticeship and training programs instead of creating a separate labor pipeline from scratch.
Ottawa has already invested millions of dollars with Irving in workforce development programs for the River-class destroyers, which will require hundreds of additional workers by the early 2030s.
The labor dispute underscores the broader challenge facing the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, or CPSP, which is expected to cost as much as C$80 billion over the coming decades.
Both Hanwha Ocean and TKMS have pledged to create Canadian jobs and establish long-term maintenance capabilities on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Hanwha Ocean recently signed a teaming agreement with Canadian construction company PCL Construction aimed at developing naval infrastructure nationwide.
The Korean shipbuilder is offering a version of its KSS-III submarine, while TKMS is proposing its Type 212CD platform. Ottawa is expected to select a preferred supplier by the end of June, with the first submarine targeted for delivery by 2035.
That timetable is particularly important because Canada's four aging Victoria-class submarines are expected to begin retiring around the same period.
Choosing either Hanwha Ocean or TKMS would also mark a significant departure from Canada's traditional reliance on British and American defense suppliers.
It would tie a significant share of Canada's future undersea combat capability to industrial and technical support from Seoul or Berlin for decades.
That shift raises another challenge: preserving Canada's deep military integration with the United States.
Geoffrey F. Collins, an associate professor at the University of Prince Edward Island, argued in a separate Globe and Mail commentary that Ottawa must balance supplier diversification with its longstanding continental defense commitments.
Canadian submarines and surface vessels have traditionally carried U.S.-made torpedoes, sensors and combat management systems to ensure interoperability with American forces.
The River-class destroyers now under construction in Halifax will also carry U.S.-made missiles, radar systems, sensors and electric motors, while Canada has selected Boeing's P-8A Poseidon to replace its CP-140 maritime patrol aircraft.
The future submarine fleet will similarly need to exchange sensor and communications data securely with the United States, particularly as Canada assumes a larger maritime warning role under the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD.
Washington's latest national defense strategy has also called on Canada to play a greater role in protecting North America from undersea threats.
That means Ottawa cannot assess competing bids solely on price, delivery schedules or domestic job creation.
The winning platform will also have to fit into a North American military network that has been built over eight decades.
The debate unfolding in Halifax illustrates how Canada's strategic ambitions are colliding with practical constraints.
Before its aging submarines retire, Ottawa must simultaneously build infrastructure, train workers, protect its destroyer program and preserve interoperability with the United States.
For Hanwha Ocean and TKMS, the competition is therefore no longer simply about delivering a better submarine.
It is about proving they can provide the industrial ecosystem, skilled workforce and allied links needed to keep Canada's next fleet operating for an entire generation.
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