BC Ferries Chooses Chinese Firm to Build New Ships
(Image courtesy of BC Ferries)
On Tuesday, BC Ferries announced that it had decided to award a four-ship contract to China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards, a Chinese state-owned corporation. BC Ferries’ leadership said in a press release that Weihai is a “global leader in passenger ferry construction” and that it is confident that Weihai will meet BC Ferries’ “high expectations for safety and quality, while delivering tremendous value for our customers and on-time delivery of the four vessels.”
Bipartisan Condemnation
The decision by BC Ferries was met with criticism across the political spectrum. BC Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth said that he was “disappointed” in the selection, furthering that he was concerned about receiving services from a country that engages in hostile trade actions against Canada, such as tariffs and other protectionist policies.
BC Conservative Transportation Critic Harman Bhangu called the contract a betrayal of “[BC’s] workers, our security, our values, and our future” and “[w]hy are BC taxpayers funding Beijing’s military-industrial complex?!” BC Conservative Leader John Rustad also condemned the move, stating China’s actions against Canada have hurt the province and that “BC must cancel BC Ferries contract with China.”
The BC Ferry & Marine Workers' Union, which represents 4,500 workers, issued a statement strongly opposing BC Ferries’ decision. “[British Columbians] want ferries built here, by Canadian workers, not by authoritarian regimes with records of human rights abuses and unfair labour practices.” The BC General Employees' Union also voiced its displeasure at BC Ferries and pledged its support to the BC Ferry & Marine Workers' Union.
BC Ferries, while it used to be a Crown corporation, is now an independently managed entity. However, the provincial government is the sole preferred shareholder. BC Ferries deferred on questions about the geopolitical decision to award a contract to a Chinese firm, saying that foreign policy decisions are made by the province and the federal government. It also noted that no Canadian shipyard put in a bid for review when it came to the new ferry order, and that most said they couldn’t take on a project of this magnitude.
Foreign Shipbuilding Prevalent in BC Ferries Fleet
Looking at the 37 vessels BC Ferries currently has in operation, 17 of them were built outside of Canada. Most of the foreign-built ones are newer, showing a shift in recent decades to build overseas, with 16 of the 18 ships built since 2000 coming from foreign shipyards.
With the talk coming from Ottawa and Victoria about the need to “Buy Canadian,” the revelation that Canadian shipyards did not submit bids to build new ships for BC Ferries spotlights the urgent need to reassess Canada’s industrial strength and autonomy.
