In an increasingly complex world, the security threats faced by Canada are rapidly changing, none more so than in the Arctic. The warming Arctic is becoming increasingly navigable and opening a new arena of competition that our adversaries are eager to exploit. In response to these challenges, Canada must assert its Arctic sovereignty and work alongside allies to protect its interests in the North.
Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant, joined by Alejandro Mayorkas, United States (U.S.) Secretary of Homeland Security, and Wille Rydman, Finland's Minister of Economic Affairs, signed a joint Memorandum of Understanding to establish the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact).
This landmark partnership will enhance industry collaboration among our countries, coordinate expertise and strengthen our abilities to produce best-in-class polar vessels, including icebreakers. The ICE Pact will allow new equipment and capabilities to be produced more quickly. This includes setting up a system to rapidly exchange information on these icebreakers, keeping construction cost-and-time efficient. Through the ICE Pact, Canada, the U.S. and Finland will also work together on a joint workforce-development program to ensure that the workers building these vessels have the skills and training required. By jointly developing and producing world-class Arctic and polar icebreakers, we are laying the foundation for a competitive shipbuilding industry.
This increased cooperation will create thousands of good middle-class jobs, grow our economy, empower scientific research, and help uphold security and sovereignty in the Arctic. This partnership will be the groundwork for like-minded nations to increase their polar capabilities in the Arctic and Antarctic regions for generations to come. The ICE Pact is a win for our workers, our shipbuilding industry and our security, and it is a testament to the strength of allied cooperation in addressing shared challenges. Canadian shipyards will continue building polar icebreakers and other Arctic and polar capabilities under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS).
The Arctic and North are integral parts of our country, home to 150,000 Canadians and generations of Indigenous communities. With transformative agreements like the ICE Pact, and through Our North, Strong and Free, Canada is ramping up investments in defence and security. Our investments, which will help us reach the North Atlantic Treaty Organization defence pledge, include $218 million for new Northern Operational Support Hubs in the Arctic, $18.4 billion to acquire a more modern tactical helicopter capability, $307 million for airborne early warning aircraft to detect airborne threats sooner, and $1.4 billion for specialized maritime sensors to defend Canada from underwater threats on all 3 coasts. We will always work with allies to protect our country, our continent and the rules-based international order.
