Building ferries in B.C. would help in battle against U.S. tariffs: report

A new report says building ferries in British Columbia would help the province weather the harsh economic trade winds coming from the United States.

The report from the Centre of Future Work says building ferries in local shipyards rather than purchasing them from foreign ones would help the provincial and Canadian economy grapple with steep American tariffs.

A coalition of unions and industry leaders commissioned the report, which appears 15 months after BC Ferries announced it had contracted a shipyard owned by the Chinese government to build four major vessels at a cost that’s yet to be disclosed.

The ferry operator, which is overseen by the B.C. Ferry Authority, said at the time that no Canadian company had submitted a proposal and the winning bid from China Merchants Weihai Shipyards was at least $1 billion cheaper than others.

But the decision sparked outrage, and labour economist Jim Stafford, co-author of the report released Thursday, says it’s a mistake government must not repeat, especially in light of tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Stafford says the report is not aimed at relitigating the decision to buy Chinese ferries, but to help B.C. realize the economic potential of the shipbuilding industry through domestic procurement guarantees and investments in facilities and labour. 

Eric McNeely, president of the union representing ferry workers and a member of the Build Them Here coalition, says the province must follow its own messaging about buying locally as it pushes back against the American tariffs.

“If buying local matters, when I go to the grocery store, it has to matter, when BC Ferries is spending billions of dollars, including taxpayers’ dollars, on vessels,” he says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2026.

By Wolfgang Depner | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.