New Canada-BC agreement leaves ferries behind
Ottawa and B.C. have announced a new Canada-BC Cooperative Prosperity Agreement, committing billions of dollars to transportation, ports, shipbuilding, workforce development and other major infrastructure projects across British Columbia.
Premier Eby secured billions for transportation and infrastructure but missed the chance to make a case for two priorities that matter to ferry workers: fair federal funding for BC Ferries and federal support for building our ferries here at home.
BC Ferries carries more than 22 million passengers every year and connects coastal communities, businesses and supply chains, yet it continues to receive only a fraction of the federal operational funding provided to other Canadian ferry services.
That’s why a federal parliamentary petition, sponsored by MP Gord Johns, is calling on Ottawa to modernize its ferry funding policies and provide fair, stable, long-term operational support for BC Ferries.
BC Ferries received approximately $1.63 in federal operational support per passenger in 2024-25, compared with approximately $291 per passenger across federally supported East Coast ferry systems, according to a Library of Parliament analysis.
Investments in transportation are good for B.C. Ferry workers and coastal communities know the province’s marine highways are a vital link to education, healthcare, work and economic opportunities for everyone in our province.
