This summer, the governments of Canada, Finland, and the United States announced the ICE Pact, an effort to support icebreaker design and construction across all three countries. While ambitious in scope, the pact remains a statement of intent.

Currently, the three governments are working to define the pact and determine what it will include, and how cooperation will unfold. It is expected that a memorandum of understanding will be released in November, offering at least some initial direction.

This workshop is designed to inform that process by bringing together relevant academic, government, and industry representatives to offer fresh thinking into what this new agreement can and should look like in practice. We ask that participants give some though to what the final manifestation of the pact should look like, and perhaps how the governments’ initial (November) announcements stand up to requirements.

Key questions for consideration:

• How can icebreaker construction and design be accelerated and made more efficient?
• Do design and construction need to be consolidated? How?
• How can workforce training be improved through cooperation?
• What opportunities exist for supply chain harmonization and streamlining?
• What does Canada seek to accomplish from this initiative?

8:30 – 9:00: Coffee and registration

9:00 – 9:15: Welcoming Remarks

9:15 – 9:30: Group Introductions

9:30 – 9:45: Keynote Address

9:45 – 10:45: National Policy Objectives

What are the three states seeking to achieve from the ICE Pact? What are the perceived threats and benefits and how do they hope to proceed?

10:45 – 11:00: Health Break

11:00 – 12:00: Canadian Industry Perspectives

What does Canadian industry, particularly the major shipbuilders, bring to the table. How can industry from the three states be integrated to yield tangible results?

12:00 – 1:00: Lunched, served at the Alt

1:00-2:00: Operational Perspectives

Thoughts from the Coast Guard(s) and Navy on what the pact can deliver of operational significance. What is needed and what can be gained through cooperation?

2:00-3:00: Procurement Policy

From a procurement and defence policy perspective, how might an agreement be designed to accelerate icebreaker production and improve sustainment?

3:00-3:30 Health Break

3:30-4:00: Operationalizing the ICE Pact Agreement

How can an agreement be operationalized and integrated into national approaches to defence and Arctic policy? What else needs to be done at the operational and diplomatic level to ensure that an agreement yields real results?

4:00-4:30: Review of the day’s discussions

This event is by invitation only.