Sherbrooke, Quebec – Public Services and Procurement Canada
Through Strong, Secure, Engaged, the Government of Canada is modernizing its military equipment to support the Canadian Armed Forces and keep Canadians safe.
On behalf of the Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, and the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of National Defence, the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, today announced the awarding of a contract worth nearly $7 million to manufacturer Royer of Lac-Drolet, Quebec, to produce pairs of general-purpose combat boots and nylon laces for the Canadian Armed Forces.
“As a result of a competitive procurement process, we are proud to award this contract to Canadian supplier Royer and provide our troops with the best possible made-in-Canada equipment to carry out their work.”
The Honourable Anita Anand
Minister of Public Services and Procurement
The contract, awarded through an open, fair and transparent competitive process by Public Services and Procurement Canada, will see the delivery of an additional 40,000 pairs of boots and 100,000 pairs of laces to Canadian Armed Forces supply depots in Edmonton, Alberta, and Montréal, Quebec, by February 2023. The general?purpose boots are designed to provide enhanced foot protection and comfort for Canadian troops during operations conducted in ambient temperatures ranging from 0°C to 25°C.
“It is essential that the members of our Canadian Armed Forces have the equipment they need to fulfill their commitment to serving Canadians at home and abroad. By providing quality combat boots through this contract, we are ensuring that our members are well equipped to do the important work we ask of them.”
The Honourable Harjit Sajjan
Minister of National Defence
The contract for the general-purpose combat boots is expected to maintain 25 Canadian jobs and create 5 new jobs.
“Through this contract, we will not only provide superior quality boots to the members of our Armed Forces, but also create jobs and economic benefits directly in our community.”
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
The boots will be made entirely in Canada at the factories of manufacturer Royer in Lac-Drolet and Sherbrooke, Quebec.
The contract includes an option to order, if needed, an additional 67,500 pairs of boots over the next 5 years, for a potential total of 107,500 pairs.
To clarify, the current boot allowance policy still stands for trade qualified CAF members; this Royer contract is for kitting of new CAF recruits. Having said that, the CAF can do better than giving the contract to Royer. Previous CAF-issued Royer boots have proven to be absolute rubbish and this boot design is decades behind current the state of the art – it’s a workboot made of brown leather. Way to screw over our young Ptes.
We all know it’s not about getting the best boot at the best value; it’s for generating seven new jobs in Quebec.
I think we all know that these boots scored very high on the GBA+ scale! That is likely why they won.. the wars of the future will be based on how gender biased the equipment is, and that’s all.
Canadian Defense procurement is a joke, laughing stock of the world.
I wonder if they ever ordered some new holsters that weren’t Dremeled on?
Oh Canada,
Paying the most for lowest quality kit only to be manufactured in a particular region for political brownie points, its the Canadian way! Oh yea, one would think there may be an upcoming federal election?
I spent 11 years wearing boot styles from the Mk.3, to the Mk.4 to the “modern” brown nylon boots produced over the last several years. They were all ankle breaking garbage which fell apart after six months of hard use. In my time in uniform I went through almost ten sets of boots and never found them comfortable or of suitable quality.
the CAF needs to do better
I totally agree. Many CAF members have knee and back problems caused only by the substandard boots with next to no energy absorbing insoles and boot soles we all where forced to wear. Spend a few dollars more for a better boot and save thousands later for medical treatment and disability pensions! Oh Canada, yesterdays technology today while paying tomorrow prices!
18 year still serving member. ? this? It’s 2021 and this is what they come up with?? Who are the underground dwellers that come up with these boots, or perhaps they have a time machine that goes back to the 80s to find people to design our boots? Take a look at Great Britain is you want and example of a military that outfits its members with good quality boots. Why aren’t you buying a product off the shelf that has 1000s and 1000s of testing hours. Why are you wasting money getting proven lowers to design these boots. It’s completely mind boggling.