The Conservative Party of B.C. will implement a "fully open and competitive procurement processes" and introduce domestic content scenarios when it comes to sourcing vessels as part of a B.C. Ferries overhaul.
Leader John Rustad floated his party's Ferries platform Thursday in North Vancouver.
"B.C. Ferries plays a critical role in connecting Vancouver Island and coastal communities to the rest of the province,” Rustad said in a statement. "The NDP’s mismanagement has resulted in aging vessels, unreliable service, and frustrating bottlenecks. Coastal residents are fed up, and it’s time for real leadership to get B.C. Ferries back on track."
The pledges come after B.C. Ferries last month released five request-for-proposals as part of the New Major Vessels project. It calls for seven new vessels serving the busiest routes between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island. It was not made clear when B.C. Ferries would release the RFPs for the two remaining vessels and Rustad signalled that B.C.-based companies should at the very least get a crack at bidding for those contracts, which have historically gone to ship-builders in Europe.
Rustad pointed to a domestic shipbuilding industry emerging in B.C. since the establishment of the National Shipbuilding Strategy. B.C.-based Seaspan Marine secured the smaller of the two federal RFPs worth a total of $33 billions announced in 2011.
Looming behind the scenario of B.C. shipbuilders supplying B.C. Ferries is the Fast Ferry scandal of the 1990s. That's when the then-New Democratic government order B.C. construction of three catamaran-style ferries that came in over budget and proved unfit for local waters.
The Conservatives said their proposal with protect taxpayers and secure the best vessels possible.
Other pledges announced by the party include steps to hold management accountable, a flat fee for frequent travellers, lobbying for more federal support and ending "bottlenecks" along critical routes such as Horseshoe Bay, Departure Bay, and Tsawwassen. Rustad did not attach any figures to his proposals.
Retired B.C. NDP MLA Nicolas Simons, who represented Powell River-Sunshine Coast, a riding heavily dependent on ferries, questioned Rustad's proposal on social media.
"Anyone who thinks he's credible when it comes to BC Ferries did not live in a ferry-reliant community between 2001 and 2017," Simons said. "Fares soared, sailings were reduced, the seniors’ discount was eliminated, and ridership tanked."
Financial issues, changes in management and structure, labour shortages and questions about reliability have been among the issues surrounding B.C. Ferries in recent years, both when the B.C. Liberals and the B.C. NDP governed.
