 Intended as a replacement for the Second World War-era destroyers in service at the time, the frigate design was developed for the Progressive Conservative Diefenbaker government in the late 1950s as part of the general fleet renewal program.The GPF program was cancelled under the Liberal Pearson government as part of their plan to reshape the Canadian Armed Forces.Following the cancellation, a modified version of the design was used for the s.

The Brock Report was released in 1961 and identified the need for a ship capable of replacing the Tribal-class destroyers, especially their ability to provide naval gunfire support, along with being capable of carrying a helicopter.