Trades organization says Chinese contract for new ships ‘a stain on BC Ferries’

The organization representing construction workers across B.C. has written an open letter to BC Ferries regarding their decision to award a contract to a Chinese company to build four new vessels.

The BC Building Trades, which represents 45,000 unionized construction workers in the province, said it is “deeply disappointed” to learn about the Crown corporation’s decision.

“Canadian jobs should always come first, but in today’s economic climate, it is more important than ever that governments prioritize the spending of tax dollars locally and focus efforts on creating family-supporting jobs for British Columbians,” the letter states.

“BC Ferries has failed in the national call to action to support and buy locally produced goods and services. There were zero local content requirements in the bid — effectively freezing B.C. shipyards and B.C. workers out of the bidding process.”

Last week, BC Ferries said it had chosen China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai), following bid evaluations, international site visits and third-party reference checks.

That announcement had already prompted some backlash, landing in the choppy waters of a global trade war and a surging “buy Canadian” movement.

“While every other major Canadian industry is looking to reshore work, invest in local communities and deepen our autonomy, BC Ferries is moving in the opposite direction,” the trades organization wrote.

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“Our members have been building ships on the west coast for over 100 years. The enduring quality of our work is visible in your very own fleet.”

1:52 BC Ferries contract awarded to Chinese shipyard

According to BC Building Trades, the Queen of New Westminster was built in 1963 and constructed in Victoria shipyards. The Queen of Cowichan, built in 1976, was also constructed in Victoria while the Queen of Coquitlam and the Queen of Alberni, both built in 1976, were constructed in Vancouver shipyards.

All four vessels are set to be replaced by the newly built ships.

“A generation of BC Building Trades members earned their apprenticeships on these vessels,” the letter states. “They stayed in their communities, invested in the local economy and spent the following decades building infrastructure across the province.

“A new generation of British Columbians were ready and eager to take on this opportunity to build these ferries at home. With the right procurement structure, BC Ferries could have easily leveraged B.C.’s world-class shipyards. Just recently, Seaspan expanded facilities to support federal shipbuilding contracts.”

B.C. Premier David Eby said on Tuesday that the ship-building industry has been hollowed out and he will reach out to BC Ferries to ensure future ships are built in the province.

“I share the concerns, I want to see ferries built at home,” Eby said.

B.C. Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth said last week that while BC Ferries is an independent organization that makes its own commercial decisions, he was “disappointed (in) the fact that there is not more Canadian content” in the plan.

BC Building Trades said it wants BC Ferries to reconsider its decision and develop a plan to build the ships in British Columbia.

“This decision, in this moment in Canada’s history, will forever be a stain on BC Ferries,” the organization said in the letter.

“We stand ready to provide a local workforce to build components of these ferries in B.C. There is still time to do the right thing and reverse course.”