In semi-related news to the Canadian Surface Combatant, the Australians are cutting back their order of their version, the Hunter class, from 9 to 6 in a sweeping change in naval strategy to more of a "High/Low" fleet. In exchange for reduced high-end ships for the next 20-25 years time frame, they're planning new orders for cheaper light frigates in the 3-5K tonne range and several small "arsenal ships", potentially remote controllable ships cheaply made to carry VLS cells.
https://www.defence.gov.au/about/rev...ombatant-fleet
I wonder if the Canadian Navy will end up adopting a similar strategy due to the sheer costs and construction challenges of building 15 ships that are much bigger and more complex than anything ever built in Canada, and the need for something new to replace the very old Halifaxes.