Statement: BC Ferries contract with Chinese state-owned shipyard

BC Ferries has confirmed it will award a major shipbuilding contract to a state-owned shipyard in China.

This is more than just outsourcing. It is a political choice with long-term consequences.

British Columbians have been clear: they want ferries built here, by Canadian workers, not by authoritarian regimes with records of human rights abuses and unfair labour practices.

Yet today, we learned that BC Ferries will send hundreds of millions of public dollars overseas, bypassing domestic shipyards, undermining local jobs and compromising national resilience.

This is not about value for money. It is about short-term cost savings over long-term capacity.

Seaspan, Allied, Davie and other Canadian yards can build the ferries B.C. needs. They were shut out by a procurement process focused on cost and delivery speed, not local impact or long-term value.

Our union members will now be asked to travel to a surveillance state to oversee construction. Meanwhile, communities like Gibsons are told to wait, again, for aging vessels to be replaced.

If we celebrate buying local at the farmers’ market, lining up for local strawberries and eggs, why don’t we do the same with public infrastructure? If buying local matters, it should matter for ferries too.

We wouldn’t build hospitals or highways in another country. Ferries are just as essential, linking us to school, health care and work.

We call on BC Ferries and the provincial government to reconsider this decision, support domestic industry and put workers and communities first. We’re also calling on the federal government to reinstate the 25 per cent import tariff on foreign-built ferries and commit dedicated funding to support ferry fleet renewal here in Canada.