Sure, all we would have to do would be to secure all the IP and security requirements (which includes a bunch of ITAR and NATO security clearances) for a second yard and company, get Irving to agree to a massive contract change, get Davie to upgrade their facility to support the combat ship build requirements, redo all the production engineering and stand up a second QAR cell (all while translating everything). All while Davie still has yet to actually build a ship from scratch for Canada.
None of that seems to be very difficult to be honest - translating into French - don't use that as a reason not to use Davie, this country and its Armed Forces, are a bi-lingual country. As for the security clearances, I've got no clue on the process or the procedures to do this - but if its already been done for Irving, then a process has already been identified, defined and implemented, so its merely a question of taking what's already been done and applying it to Davie and its employees - nothing needs to be rewritten or redefined, the heavy lifting has been done.
Concerning Irving, as someone else has stated earlier, you tell them its a matter of National Security, that these ships MUST be commissioned by date X and that's it - if they can't make date X, then we use a second shipyard.
As for the last statement, does that really matter? Davie hasn't even been awarded a contract yet to build from the keel up a single ship yet. Irving hadn't built a military ship in over 20+yrs but here they are, building, slowly, the AOPS.
So what's the alternative - seriously? The RCN doesn't get a CSC in the water for another what, 10-12yrs? Irving hasn't cut steel on the 5th AOPS yet, the 4th one had its keel laid in May of 2019. When you do think they will be in a position to cut steel on the first CSC when they still have 4(!) more AOPS to begin work on, let alone deliver to the RCN and CCG.
Given the existing timelines on the first 4 AOPS, it doesn't look like any synergy has been gained in reducing timelines. Using these timelines, they'll cut steel on the 5th AOPS in the next 2-4 months (April-June 2021), then the next one 18-22 months after that, so let's say Oct 2022 - Feb 2023. That will be the 6th and final AOPS for the Navy. The 2 AOPS for the CCG won't start until what, June 2024 and then Nov 2025 for the final one. So the first CSC will start somewhere in 2026 and be delivered in 2031-32 to the RCN?
HMCS Halifax was commissioned on 1992, that would make her basically 39yrs old when she's paid off.....unreal. HMCS Huron has scrapped well before that timeline and the others lasted only a few years longer. With so many of the Halifax class commissioned in a much tighter timeline - all 12 commissioned within 4yrs - how the hell do we expect to launch 15 CSC 1 per year or 1 per every 2yrs when the Halifax's will be a minimum of 39yrs old when you launch (at the current timelines) the first CSC and have 15 to launch? Why does no one address the fact - the fact - that the RCN will shrink in the size and capability during this current approach, the Halifax's will NEVER make it until the 12th CSC is built, let alone the 15th.
In order to maintain, just maintain, 12 ships of the line, a second facility will need to be included in this process. Why does no one talk about this? Under the above timelines, the RCN will commission the 4th CSC right around the time they pay off the last of the Halifax's - unless we will be be sailing 'ships of the line' over the 50yrs mark - may God protect those serving on them in the North Atlantic during the winter months.