17 unions call for BC Ferries to build new ships in Canada

A coalition of 17 trade unions is calling on BC Ferries to build its new ships in British Columbia.

The coalition was formed after BC Ferries awarded a contract to China last year to build four new vessels to replace ones currently operating in its fleet.

The 2025 announcement was met with controversy from the public and politicians, and on Monday the 17 unions launched a new campaign called “Build Them Here.”

The coalition says that instead of going to China, the ferry contract should have stayed in B.C., where tax dollars could have been spent on local jobs and economic activity.

“We can build ferries here in B.C. just like we used to, keeping dollars at work in our community and paycheques in our pockets. We have a Buy Canadian plan to replace the Navy and Coast Guard fleet, why not our ferries?” said Eric McNeely, provincial president of the BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union at a press conference Monday.

“By being our own best customer we can build Canada strong, we can respond to trade wars and tariffs; we can have a diverse Canadian economy from coast to coast to coast,” he said. “We can build them here, and we need to start building now.”

No Canadian company bid on contract

In 2025, when the ferry contract to China was announced, BC Ferries said that no Canadian shipyard bid on the project.

In a leaked report obtained by CHEK News in October, the provincial government seemingly ignored a plan for Canadian shipyards to build the vessels locally.

The report, commissioned by B.C.-based shipyard Seaspan, said that thousands of jobs and billions in economic revenue were possible in the province if upcoming ferries were built in B.C.

The report by Shirocca Consulting said that while the upfront costs for building ferries in Canada would be higher than foreign bids, there would be benefits to the provincial and national economy if contract dollars stayed local, and this would lead to the creation of a stronger shipbuilding industry in B.C.

“(BC Ferries) do not specify targets or percentages for B.C. or Canadian content. This places domestic shipbuilders at a competitive disadvantage as foreign labour rates are significantly lower,” read the Shirocca report.

“While this approach may yield a lower cost in the narrowest sense, it overlooks the employment, wage earnings, and contributions to B.C. and Canada’s economies and GDP that could result from domestic participation,” it said.

At the time, local shipyards Seaspan and Davie Shipyards said they did not participate in the bid because they were busy with Canadian Navy and Coast Guard work – and because they felt it was futile because the bidding process favoured foreign shipyards.

The province responded by saying the Shirocca report was only a “conceptual study” and that it provided no details on actual work, or a timeline for construction.

“But there was no actual plan submitted for how the work would be done, what capacity would be required, how long it would take, or what the cost impact would be for BC Ferries,” said BC Ferries in a statement at the time.

“It provided none of the essential details needed for BC Ferries to assess, and no certainty regarding the fixed-price or on-time guarantees that our customers expect. So even if we had wanted to pursue that path, there was nothing concrete to act on.”

While the ferry contract is going to China, BC Ferries says about $230 million is expected to flow into the provincial economy for refitting and maintaining the ships.

On Monday, the Build Them Here coalition, which represents more than 7,000 union workers, asked members of the public to write to BC Ferries telling it to build the next ferries in B.C.

“For almost fifty years, Allied Shipbuilders built the vessels that carry British Columbians between their islands and the mainland, including the North Island Princess, Quadra Queen, A. J. Savoie, Tachek, Quadra Queen II and Skeena Queen,” said Chuck Ko, president of Allied Shipbuilders, in a statement Monday.

“These ferries were built here, by workers who live here, in a shipyard that is proud to still operate today.  We should harness our proud history of building ships locally and rebuild this industry so future BC Ferries can be constructed in British Columbia again,” he said.

With files from CHEK’s Rob Shaw

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