The BC Ferry & Marine Workers Union has not given up on building ships in B.C.
On Aug. 6, the union released a new campaign calling on British Columbians to speak up following BC Ferries’ decision to award China the contract to build four new vessels, using a $1 billion loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank.
BC Ferries has been criticized for awarding the project to a foreign nation, but says no Canadian shipyards placed a bid.
The campaign is entitled 'Build Them Here' and urges people to contact their MP and MLA to demand that ferries be built in Canada. The union says the campaign is meant to highlight what’s at stake: “Thousands of good jobs, billions in local investment and the future of Canadian shipbuilding.”
“BC Ferries says this is about savings,” said union president Eric McNeely. “But the savings are short-term. We’ve seen the long-term costs: delays waiting for parts, mismatched systems, repair crews flown in from abroad. It hurts service.”
Cowichan-Malahat-Langford MP Jeff Kibble says he wants to see these jobs kept in Canada.
“Our party strongly believes that federal dollars from the infrastructure bank should remain in Canada and be used for Canadian projects, Canadian workers, Canadian shipbuilders and Canadian steel. We don’t want to be sending that money to another country when we can do that work here,” said the Conservative MP, who explained the ships could be built in Canada, and in Vancouver, where a number of navy vessels are being constructed.
“A lot of people say, 'Well, there were no bids by Canadian shipyards.' But the project was designed so it just wasn’t feasible for them to bid. Absolutely, we can build those types of ferries here in Vancouver.”
While Kibble acknowledged it may take longer to complete the work, he said the reward would be greater.
“Those workers, those truck drivers, the steel that’s purchased – that money stays in our economy. Those people then buy groceries to feed their families. That contributes to a stronger economy, to more value in our dollar. That’s how you fight inflation.”
This is a sentiment the Build Them Here campaign champions.
“They say it’s faster. They say no one in Canada bid. But here’s what they don’t say: Canadian yards were interested – the process pushed them out. Seaspan warned over a year ago that the terms were stacked against local builders. Offshore builds only look cheaper because they don’t count the cost of lost jobs, lost training and long-term dependency on foreign supply chains,” reads the campaign website.
Kibble says what he and the Conservatives can do to ensure projects such as these are kept in Canada is advocate for federal dollars to remain in the country.
“That’s what we’re pushing for,” said Kibble.
“We can’t prevent a private company from shopping around and getting the best price, but we can encourage people to keep the work here. As far as federal funding, we can have some control over that. The transport committee is investigating and trying to push so that money stays within Canada.”
BC Ferries has selected the China Merchants Industry (CMI) Weihai Shipyards to build four new vessels. The ships will replace four aging vessels in the BC Ferries fleet.
“CMI Weihai is a global leader in passenger ferry construction, and shipbuilding more broadly,” said Nicolas Jimenez, CEO of BC Ferries, in a news release.
“It was the clear choice based on the overall strength of its bid, including its technical capabilities, high-quality and safety standards, ferry-building experience, proven ability to deliver safe, reliable vessels on dependable timelines, and the overall cost and value it delivers for our customers.”
While the new ships will not be built in Canada, BC Ferries anticipates investing more than $230 million locally on refits and maintenance during their first 10 years of service. The corporation also expects to spend more than $1 billion over the vessels’ expected 45-year lifespans, which it says will generate 17,200 job-years of employment, $1.2 billion in wages and add $2.2 billion to B.C.’s GDP.
Yet concerns remain that these investments are not enough compared with what could have been if the ships were built domestically.
“This is a national-interest decision with generational consequences,” said McNeely. “Public contracts should build our industries, not industries offshore.”
“BC Ferries had years to make a different choice. Earlier analysis, like Seaspan’s Shirroca report, warned of the long-term fallout of sending this work overseas, but they ignored it.”
The union has also raised concerns with BC Ferries about its lack of local procurement policies for terminal repairs and upgrades.
“Canada’s steel industry is under pressure, and public contracts should help keep it alive,” said McNeely.
“We shouldn’t be importing steel and jobs from overseas while our own mills face closures and layoffs. BC Ferries has the power to choose Canadian.”
