Ferry fare fairness: Eby slams Ottawa after feds slash East Coast fares by 50%

British Columbia Premier David Eby tore into the federal government on Monday after Ottawa slashed ferry fares on the East Coast by 50 per cent.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the rate cuts for the Eastern Canada Ferry Services which serve P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec and Marine Atlantic, the constitutionally-mandated ferry service that connects Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, earlier Monday.

The fare cuts were a federal Liberal election promise.

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Eby said major new subsidies for East Coast ferries but not for those in B.C. are a symptom of “structural unfairness.”

“Not only are we paying billions of additional equalization to Quebec and Manitoba and a billion dollars to Ontario, but also we have to watch the federal government show up on the East Coast and subsidize ferry users that already get a $300 subsidy per each $1 that a B.C. ferry user gets,” Eby said.

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“The ask is very straightforward. We need the same per-capita funding, the same per-person funding that any province gets. Through any other announcement that’s made across the country.”

Eby acknowledged that Carney’s announcement was an election promise, but said Ottawa has not increased its subsidy for B.C. ferry users in nearly two decades.

Marine Atlantic is a federal Crown corporation, while the federal government provides financial support to the operators of the three Eastern Canada Ferry Services routes, Northumberland Ferries Ltd., Bay Ferries Ltd., and Coopérative de transports maritime et aérien. BC Ferries is wholly owned by the B.C. provincial government.

The three Eastern Canada Ferry Services carry an estimated 531,000 passengers per year, while BC Ferries moves more than 22 million annually.

In a statement, BC Ferries said ferry transport was “just as essential” in B.C. as on the East Coast, and that without more support could be forced to hike fares by 30 per cent in 2028.

“We’re partially funded by the Province for specific service levels and do receive some federal support. But we also operate one of the largest and most complex ferry systems in the world, and unlike many other jurisdictions, the vast majority of system costs are paid directly by ferry users,” the company said.

“Navigating aging infrastructure, inflationary pressures, and growing demand will require continued collaboration across all levels of government to keep ferry travel reliable, affordable, and sustainable for coastal British Columbians.”

BC Ferries has been grappling with surging demand and aging vessels.

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Earlier this year, the company announced plans to procure four new, larger vessels from a Chinese shipyard, a move that drew criticism from multiple quarters — including both the federal Liberal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland and opposition Conservative MPs.

Earlier this month, the House of Commons transport committee opened a probe into a federal $1 billion loan BC Ferries received for the purchase.

BC Ferries said the Chinese bid was $1.2 billion cheaper than competing European offers, and presented the best option to keep passenger fares down.

The shipyard, China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai), has also built ferries for Marine Atlantic, one of the recipients of the new federal ferry fare subsidies.