B.C.'s Opposition leader wants to cancel BC Ferries' controversial billion-dollar contract with a Chinese shipyard after Premier David Eby took no action to defend local workers.

B.C. Ferries faces criticism for buying four vessels from China's CMI Weihai, which stems from a lack of Canadian bids and a reported $1.1 billion cost advantage over European competitors, according to Global News.

The company currently charges $95 for a car and driver, plus $15 per passenger, on its main southern routes. Fares may increase by 30% by 2028.

BC Conservatives call for Premier Eby to fire BC Ferries Chair Joy MacPhail and CEO Nicolas Jimenez over $1B China ferry deal. pic.twitter.com/p4zbSwJrFq

— Conservative Party of BC (@Conservative_BC) August 14, 2025

Conservative leader John Rustad criticized the NDP earlier this week for not engaging local shipbuilders sooner, suggesting B.C. Ferries should have turned to allies like Germany or Poland if domestic options were unavailable. 

Eby wouldn't cancel the deal due to billions in costs and delays to vital vessel procurement. Meanwhile, his Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth distanced himself from the decision, citing Chinese tariffs.

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Following China's 75.8% tariff on Canadian canola products, expected to cost the industry $5 billion, Rustad called for the deal to be scrapped on Tuesday.

“We want to … have a good trade relationship with China. … but you don’t reward a country that is quite frankly attacking other sectors of our economy,” Rustad said.

The MLA cites other aggressive trade actions by China in recent weeks against Canadian seafood and wood pulp. “I think we should break this contract. I think that we need to send a message.” 

BC CPC MP @DanAlbas asks Transport Minister Freeland how she can be all "Elbows Up" while backstopping a loan to buy ferries from a CCP-owned shipbuilder over Canadian jobs.

No real answers. Just time wasting pic.twitter.com/KXlNh7IAAK

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) August 1, 2025

Minister Farnworth, federal Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland, and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre all expressed disappointment that Canadian shipyards weren't chosen, arguing against subsidizing overseas jobs with Canadian tax dollars.

Freeland, in particular, supports domestic shipbuilding but did not fully condemn Chinese outsourcing. She denied prior knowledge of the contract, having written a strong letter of disapproval in June.

B.C. Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez informed the Commons Transport Committee that two pre-qualified Canadian shipyards did not submit bids during the five-year procurement process.

The company chose CMI Weihai’s bid, among six compliant proposals, based on overall value, including delivery, performance, cost, and service. “This was a choice between a foreign bid or no new ferries,” Jimenez told MPs. 

Domestic shipyards claim the bid process excluded them by prioritizing cost, making them uncompetitive due to higher local labour expenses. Jimenez, meanwhile, touted savings of up to $650 million in interest compared to other competitors.

Both provincial trades and the union representing ferry workers oppose the deal.

The Transport Ministry was informed in mid-April that the BC Ferries shipbuilding contract would go to a CCP-owned company.
Right in the middle of the Liberals' "Elbows Up" re-election campaign. pic.twitter.com/DmdPxPa8FB

— Sheila Gunn Reid (@SheilaGunnReid) August 1, 2025

A federal probe has begun into the $1.1 billion loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank to B.C. Ferries.

On August 1, a Commons committee voted to release confidential records by September 12 concerning taxpayer funding for Chinese-made vessels. This decision was supported by Conservative and Bloc Québécois MPs, who cited transparency concerns.

In April, bank representatives informed federal transport officials of the Chinese origin, raising no concerns. On June 26, the Infrastructure Bank approved the $1.1 billion loan at 1.8% interest, unbeknownst to cabinet.

The Bank approved the loan on March 28; it was announced two months later. CEO Ehren Cory defended its cost on August 1.

B.C. Ferries is not the first Canadian ferry service to receive a vessel from CMI Weihai; Marine Atlantic Ferries, a federal Crown corporation serving Newfoundland, recently took delivery from the same shipyard.