How Canada could build shipyard employment into naval capacity

What should Canada build if a national shipbuilding program must support employment across the Navy, Coast Guard, and merchant marine?

Start with LNG and container ships, existing naval types, patrol ships, and icebreakers, then consider a carrier or LHD after building the workforce and crews.

A Canadian shipbuilding employment program should begin with vessels that have clear continuing demand. LNG carriers and container ships could anchor the merchant order book while the Navy continues building more of the types it already knows how to crew. Additional Harry DeWolf-class patrol ships and true icebreakers would expand Coast Guard work suited to Canadian geography. These orders would grow yards, suppliers, and the trained naval service together. Only after that personnel and industrial base existed would a carrier or large amphibious ship become a sensible next investment, while an immediate jump to nuclear surface propulsion would be premature.