Ferry and transportation issues were central in discussions in the community after a member of parliament visited to learn more about the complexities of transportation in qathet region.
Dan Albas, member of parliament for Okanagan Lake West-South Kelowna, was in Powell River on August 18 to meet with mayor Ron Woznow regarding airport issues, and to participate in a roundtable discussion with local residents about BC Ferries concerns.
Albas, who is vice-chair of the parliamentary standing committee on transportation, infrastructure and communities, said he was in the North Island-Powell River riding at the invitation of MP Aaron Gunn to discuss transportation issues with businesses, constituents and politicians.
“Powell River is very dependent on ferries,” said Albas. “People need to be able to make their medical appointments, and obviously, for some communities such as Powell River, supply chains are completely dependent on the ferries. When it works well, it’s great for everyone, and when it doesn’t, it makes things very difficult. It’s tough when a patient needs to get to an oncology appointment and they miss their chance.
“These issues really matter, and Aaron actually came to a committee meeting we recently held in Ottawa, asking around BC Ferries, and specifically around the Canadian Infrastructure Bank’s controversial $1 billion loan for four new ferries to be built in China. It was great to have a Conservative voice, not just from BC, but from Vancouver Island, as well as Powell River, because the connections are there.”
In terms of the Powell River roundtable, Albas said from his understanding, locals have been having issues with BC Ferries. He said with the sale of the Catalyst Paper Tis’kwat mill, everyone is waiting with bated breath to see what is going to happen, because there are transportation implications with the deep sea port that is part of the mill. He said he was also looking forward to meeting with Woznow to talk about Powell River’s needs, and to discuss matters pertaining to the airport, and how its operation could be better.
“Small communities such as Powell River that are so heavily dependent on ferries need to have multiple options,” said Albas. “Having a member of parliament that is highly engaged to find out where the opportunities are, and how solutions can be found, is important. Having a member who knows these issues that have not caught the attention of the authorities in Ottawa is important.
“Part of that is holding government to account, but also proposing solutions that will work, and that is where a local MP can be incredibly powerful. Ottawa has a blind spot when it comes to communities that are remote and rural.”
Albas said it was important to have Gunn at the table of his standing committee when it had extensive discussions about the four new BC Ferries to be built in China. Albas said the committee had minister of transportation Chrystia Freeland and minister of housing and infrastructure Gregor Robertson at the table. There was also representation from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank and BC Ferries at the hearing.
“Bringing accountability is important for these kinds of big decisions because this is the largest nongovernmental procurement for these types of vessels in Canada,” said Albas. “Chrystia Freeland, when I questioned her in the House of Commons, talked about a letter she wrote to her provincial counterpart saying she was dismayed about the decision by BC Ferries, and actually cited everything, including national security concerns. She wanted assurance that not one federal dollar would go toward the capital financing of these vessels. Lo and behold, we found out that there is a $1 billion loan that we know of, and during committee, we actually found out that there’s also some bonds that BC Ferries will be seeking, so it’s actually going to be well over $1 billion, because you don’t issue bonds for chump change.
“So, we were left with the Liberals continuing to say they are dismayed and disappointed. We were demanding cancellation of the loan because we don’t think that the Canadian Investment Bank, which is charged with driving investments in Canada, should actually be making investments outside of Canada. This project is outsourcing shipbuilding jobs, plus steel and aluminum jobs, at a time where our steel and aluminum sectors are being hit by unjustified American tariffs.”
Albas said his party is pressing for cancellation of the bank loan and to start having discussions in Canada, because prime minister Mark Carney has said that not only is China the greatest geopolitical threat to Canada’s security, but it also has, as Gunn pointed out at the committee, substandard labour and environmental protections, and that China subsidizes its steel.
“Mark Carney has wrapped himself in the maple leaf and said: ‘Canada strong,’” said Albas. “He said: ‘Let’s be our own best customer.’ He has also stated that we need to move at speed and to be building things here in Canada that we have never done before.
“We have two shipyards that have publicly come out and said that the way BC Ferries constructed this procurement essentially made it impossible for a Canadian shipyard to bid, so none of them did. We also found out from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank CEO that the runner-up was another Chinese shipyard, so that way this procurement was run clearly favoured China.”
Albas said steel or aluminum workers being handed their pink slips are asking why their tax dollars are going to support jobs in a Chinese, state-owned shipyard. He said he has spoken with a representative from the BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union, who indicated that its members are concerned.
Albas said BC Ferries fills an important role in ferry-dependent communities and that is why it is important for Gunn to raise issues that are inconvenient for government and corporations.
“BC Ferries needs to be answerable to the public,” said Albas. “That’s why we’re doing the roundtable here, because of the many concerns that have been raised.”
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