Cost Of Warship Replacement Program Balloons; Watchdog Puts Estimate At More Than Double Of Original Budget

Ottawa's program to replace the Canadian navy's frigates and destroyers could cost more than twice the original estimate, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), as cited by the Canadian Press.

The PBO, the federal budget watchdog, released its report on June 1.

The watchdog says the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) program will cost nearly Can$61.8 billion (US$45.8 billion) to replace 12 Halifax-class frigates and three Iroquois-class destroyers.

The original...