Transport committee will study B.C. Ferries receiving $1B loan for Chinese ships

The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 07, 2025 12:28 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

The House of Commons transport committee agreed connected Monday to motorboat a survey into the $1-billion indebtedness B.C. Ferries received from the Canada Infrastructure Bank to concern the acquisition of 4 caller electric-diesel ships from a Chinese shipbuilder.

B.C. Ferries announced past period that it had hired China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards to physique 4 caller ships aft a five-year procurement process that did not see a Canadian bid.

Federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland sent her B.C. counterpart a missive connected June 20 saying she is "dismayed" by the woody and expects B.C. Ferries to mitigate imaginable information risks.

She besides asked the B.C. authorities to corroborate that nary national backing volition beryllium diverted to acquisition the ferries.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank contributed $1 cardinal to the woody and said successful a June 26 connection that the caller ferries "wouldn't apt beryllium purchased" without this financing.

The committee volition call Freeland, Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson and the CEOs of B.C. Ferries and the Canada Infrastructure Bank to testify.

The hearings are to beryllium scheduled wrong the adjacent 30 days.

Dan Albas, Conservative proscription professional and committee co-chair, requested Monday's meeting. He said helium wants to cognize wherefore $1 cardinal successful nationalist funds has been earmarked to concern overseas shipbuilding successful the mediate of a commercialized warfare with the U.S., and arsenic China charges tariffs connected immoderate Canadian cultivation products. 

"My absorption is mostly connected getting answers truthful that radical tin cognize whether oregon not their authorities — remember the authorities that said 'elbows up, Canada strong, we tin physique it together' — is successful information really financing the outsourcing of Canadian jobs," Albas said.

Will Greaves, Liberal MP for Victoria, said helium was in favour of studying the decision, but encouraged committee members not to leap to conclusions and hold for testimony, adding that B.C. Ferries is simply a captious work for the province's coastal communities. 

"We request to perceive this witnesser testimony.… We request to person the accidental to bespeak connected the questions that person been raised, but I encourage my colleagues to halt utilizing B.C. Ferries and B.C. coastal communities arsenic a punching container to marque points that we person heard before."

The committee volition statement adjacent steps successful its survey erstwhile the grounds is complete. 

In a statement, B.C. Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez said it chose the astir broad bid that provides the champion value, and the determination was made "in the lack of immoderate Canadian bids."

The low-interest indebtedness volition prevention B.C. Ferries customers and the province's taxpayers up to $650 million, helium added. 

"Without it, we would inactive beryllium gathering these ferries, but would request to marque up that quality done higher fares for customers oregon higher concern from precocious levels of government."

The caller vessels are expected to articulation the B.C. Ferries fleet betwixt 2029 and 2031.