There is a long list major capital projects that the current and future governments must consider in order to modernize the CAF, improve recruiting and perhaps revitalize the domestic defence industry. A new White Paper by the future government will be required which will take into account the ever dynamic world security environment and fiscal reality.
I am of the opinion that no matter which party is in power, the defence budget will always come under intense scrutiny for cuts in order to serve the governing party's political interests and current public opinion. Submarines, by their nature, operates in the netherworld, which means that the general public knows that they exist but are not sure what they're doing and how important they are to national security. If the government and DND wants submarines they must be more transparent and clear to the public about the purpose of submarines and their vital contribution to national defence as a whole.
I am not sure if the current or future federal government will support a submarine replacement project and I believe that this decision will be based on the huge procurement cost and use of alternative defence assets to cover off most of the submarines capabilities. At this time I think that Canadians know that Communist China and Russia poses an existential security threat, but they are unsure how to counter it. They will prefer to use diplomatic means vice building a credible defence deterrent like submarines. I hope that I'm wrong.