The Royal Canadian Navy is pushing to have their submarine fleet replaced as Russia and China flex their muscles and climate change eases access to the Arctic Ocean.

Navy spokesman Lieutenant-Commander Jordan Holder says procurement work needs to begin now, given the age of the existing submarines and the time needed to design and build the vessels.

Any move to buy new submarines is likely to be controversial, given the cost and the fact the Victoria-class subs have spent more time docked for repairs than in the water since being purchased second-hand from Britain in 1998.