At a time when Canadians are raising their elbows to protect local jobs, BC Ferries has delivered what critics are calling a hand slap—to its own workforce.

The company’s decision to award the construction of four new vessels to a Chinese state-owned shipyard has sparked fierce condemnation from political leaders and union representatives. Many say it deals a devastating blow to British Columbia’s shipbuilding industry—the very sector Premier David Eby’s NDP government pledged to support through a “made-in-BC” strategy launched in 2021.

BC Conservative Leader John Rustad said the decision undercuts a struggling local economy and contradicts the government’s own promises.

“British Columbia’s economy is weak. We need to be able to strengthen it. We need to strengthen our shipbuilding industry and our capacities,” Rustad told Overstory Media, Capital Daily’s parent company. 

“It just makes sense that Canadian, British Columbian tax dollars should be spent in British Columbia where possible—supporting our jobs and supporting the potential growth of our shipbuilding sector.”

Even NDP's transportation minister is surprised

BC Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth questioned the decision to have the vessels built in China, given ongoing trade tensions between the two countries.

“I do have concerns around procuring services from any country that is actively harming Canada’s economy through unfair tariffs or other protectionist trade practices,” he told Postmedia.

Union leaders were pointed in their criticism. Eric McNeely, president of the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union, called the move short-sighted and ethically fraught.

“This appears to be a decision made purely about money,” McNeely said. “Ferries aren’t iPhones. They’re part of key public infrastructure.”

“I think the biggest consequence for workers is the work won't exist—at least the construction work won’t exist in Canada,” he added. 

“And we’re talking about a contract handed to an authoritarian regime with records of human rights abuses and unfair labour practices.”

Canadian companies weren't in the mix

BC Ferries spokesperson Ritinder Matthews told Capital Daily, “No Canadian shipyards submitted a bid—most told us they didn’t have the capacity or timelines to take on a project of this size.”

The company said Chinese state-owned CMI Weihai was selected for having a high level of safety precautions and because it was a cost-effective choice. The ferry company, which will have a team onsite at CMI Weihai’s shipyard to monitor the process, opted not to reveal the value of the winning bid because it said it wanted to preserve competitive pricing when it makes future orders.

BC Ferries has said that in the first 10 years of service, it expects to invest more than $230 million locally on refits and scheduled maintenance for the four approved vessels. But to many in the industry, that’s little consolation.

Missed opportunity

Critics argue this was a massive missed opportunity to invest in a homegrown industry the province once claimed it would champion. In 2021, the BC government launched a Shipbuilding Advisory Committee to chart a long-term strategy for the sector, promising jobs, innovation, and a low-carbon future. But there’s been no public release of the committee’s final recommendations.

“There were photo-ops and promises about a ‘Made in BC’ shipbuilding strategy,” said Harman Bhangu, BC United’s infrastructure and transportation critic. “And now they’re backtracking—again. It’s always talk with this government. When it comes time to actually grow our economy or support working people, they vanish.”

Bhangu called the contract a betrayal of the workers the government claims to support.

“This is a slap in the face to union workers,” he said. “The government talks about supporting BC jobs, then quietly sends them overseas to a state-owned shipyard in China.”

Rustad also questioned the political risks of deepening economic ties with a country currently imposing tariffs on Canadian goods and undermining sectors like agriculture.

“How do you justify having ships built over there?” he asked. “We should be looking to our traditional allies—Norway, Germany, Poland—places where we’ve had ships built before,” Rustad said.

“I am disappointed more involvement from Canadian shipyards was not part of the contract,” Farnworth told Postmedia.

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(With files from Robyn Bell, Capital Daily)