[29] On 22 May 2019, an official announcement was made to begin the process of building two vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard, bringing the total number of ships in the class to eight.

[30] In 2006 Prime Minister Stephen Harper had spoken about building three to four icebreakers capable of travelling through thick ice in the Arctic Ocean.

[19] This announcement was met with some controversy, and the proposed ships have been called "slush-breakers", by Dr. Gary Stern, a scientist aboard CCGS Amundsen, and Jack Layton of the NDP.

The NSPS announced on 19 October 2011 that Irving Shipbuilding would be awarded the $25 billion contract to build six to eight Arctic patrol ships as well as fifteen other warships for the RCN over the next two decades.

[39] In December it was found that not enough money had been projected to cover the cost of building the six to eight planned ships and that the budget would need to be increased, delaying the signing of the contract.

[2] On 13 April 2015 the government announced a second ship would be named Margaret Brooke in honour of Sub-Lieutenant Margaret Brooke, a Royal Canadian Navy Nursing Sister decorated for heroism for her efforts to save a fellow nursing sister after the sinking of the ferry SS Caribou during World War II.

[44][45] The fifth ship will be named for Frédérick Rolette, a French-Canadian sailor of Canada's Provincial Marine under the Royal Navy who, during the War of 1812, was second-in-command of the ship Lady Prevost at the Battle of Lake Erie, and led the capture of the American supply vessel Cayahoga Packet, in July 1812, an action instrumental in contributing to the capture of Detroit one month later.

[47] In 2020 it was confirmed that the sixth ship would be named for Robert Hampton Gray, posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry during World War II while serving with the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm in the Pacific theatre.

[48] The cost of the sixth vessel is expected to be higher due to the tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed by both Canada and the United States.

102) was dedicated to a comprehensive review of the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship project with the subtitle: An insider's look at the Royal Canadian Navy's new capability.

[51] On 18 June 2015 it was reported that the construction of test modules for the lead ship of the class Harry DeWolf was underway.

In September 2016, it was announced that construction had begun on Margaret Brooke and that 50 of 64 modular pieces of Harry DeWolf had been completed.

However, others believe that the ships' capabilities are sufficient given their largely constabulary mission, and are in line with existing naval and coast guard vessels of other Arctic nations.

[65] In April 2013, the Rideau Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a report on the proposed AOPS.

The report's conclusion was that Canada would be better suited to have purpose-built ships, namely icebreakers for the Arctic and offshore patrol vessels for the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

[69] In 2017, the decision was made to have each of the six ships affiliate with one of the six Inuit regions in Northern Canada; Qikiqtaaluk, Kitikmeot, Kivalliq, Nunavik, Nunatsiavut, and Inuvialuit.

[70] In November 2023, Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee, the commander of the RCN, released a statement indicating that due to serious personnel recruitment and retention problems in the navy, notably an absence of marine technicians, only one of the new Harry DeWolf-class ships was actually being manned at any given time.

[71][72] By February/March 2024 these crewing problems had been reduced/solved, as demonstrated by the simultaneous deployments of Max Bernays (sailing between Canada's Atlantic and Pacific coasts via the Panama Canal) and Margaret Brooke (to the Caribbean Sea).

[7] In 2008, a contract was awarded to BMT Fleet Technology and STX Canada Marine to assist in developing technical specifications and a design for the project.

[78] They are capable of outfitting multiple payload options such as shipping containers, underwater survey equipment, or a landing craft.

Modifications include a new bridge layout and accommodations for a non-military crew subject to Transport Canada requirements.