Why Canada needs both shipbuilding continuity and maritime coverage

Is the Canadian Surface Combatant mainly an excuse to rebuild shipbuilding infrastructure?

Industrial renewal is part of it, but Canada's vast coasts and Arctic exposure also justify a larger, continuously supported naval force.

The programme can preserve shipbuilding skills, but that industrial aim also follows from Canada's strategic geography. A relatively small population must cover very long Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic boundaries. The state therefore needs enough naval and air power to monitor approaches across the North Pole as well as its conventional coasts. Slow production and low volume make continuity especially important because lost capacity cannot be regenerated quickly.