The group representing development staff throughout B.C. has written an open letter to BC Ferries concerning their determination to award a contract to a Chinese language firm to construct 4 new vessels.
The BC Constructing Trades, which represents 45,000 unionized development staff within the province, stated it’s “deeply disenchanted” to study concerning the Crown company’s determination.
“Canadian jobs ought to at all times come first, however in at present’s financial local weather, it’s extra essential than ever that governments prioritize the spending of tax {dollars} regionally and focus efforts on creating family-supporting jobs for British Columbians,” the letter states.
“BC Ferries has failed within the nationwide name to motion to assist and purchase regionally produced items and providers. There have been zero native content material necessities within the bid — successfully freezing B.C. shipyards and B.C. staff out of the bidding course of.”
Last week, BC Ferries said it had chosen China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai), following bid evaluations, worldwide website visits and third-party reference checks.
That announcement had already prompted some backlash, touchdown within the uneven waters of a worldwide commerce warfare and a surging “purchase Canadian” motion.
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“Whereas each different main Canadian business is seeking to reshore work, spend money on native communities and deepen our autonomy, BC Ferries is shifting in the other way,” the trades group wrote.
“Our members have been constructing ships on the west coast for over 100 years. The enduring high quality of our work is seen in your very personal fleet.”
In accordance with BC Constructing Trades, the Queen of New Westminster was in-built 1963 and constructed in Victoria shipyards. The Queen of Cowichan, in-built 1976, was additionally constructed in Victoria whereas the Queen of Coquitlam and the Queen of Alberni, each in-built 1976, had been constructed in Vancouver shipyards.
All 4 vessels are set to get replaced by the newly constructed ships.
“A technology of BC Constructing Trades members earned their apprenticeships on these vessels,” the letter states. “They stayed of their communities, invested within the native economic system and spent the next a long time constructing infrastructure throughout the province.
“A brand new technology of British Columbians had been prepared and wanting to tackle this chance to construct these ferries at residence. With the correct procurement construction, BC Ferries might have simply leveraged B.C.’s world-class shipyards. Only recently, Seaspan expanded services to assist federal shipbuilding contracts.”
B.C. Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth said last week that whereas BC Ferries is an impartial group that makes its personal industrial choices, he was “disenchanted (in) the truth that there’s no more Canadian content material” within the plan.
BC Constructing Trades stated it desires BC Ferries to rethink its determination and develop a plan to construct the ships in British Columbia.
“This determination, on this second in Canada’s historical past, will perpetually be a stain on BC Ferries,” the group stated within the letter.
“We stand prepared to offer a neighborhood workforce to construct parts of those ferries in B.C. There may be nonetheless time to do the correct factor and reverse course.”
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