The BC Conservatives have called on David Eby and the BC NDP to cancel a BC Ferries contract recently awarded to a Chinese company.China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards — a subsidiary of a "state-owned enterprise directly administered by the central government" that is "closely linked" to China's military — was tapped to build four new ships for the transportation service provider.In a statement, the BC Conservatives argued that the decision "puts British Columbia's economy and Canada's security at risk, at a time when tariffs and trade tension with China are at the top of the national and international agenda.""Premier Eby put on a big show of not stopping in China on his trade mission to Asia," MLA and Transportation Critic Harman Bhangu said. "Then the NDP sends billions of dollars to a state-owned shipyard in China.".He pointed out that the government appointed the majority of those on the BC Ferries board — including the NDP cabinet minister-turned-current board chair — and as such, "this deal is fully within the government’s control.""Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth needs tell his old friend Joy MacPhail to stop this deal before it’s too late," Bhangu said. "As recently as last October, the federal government called China's military a threat to our province's communication networks, including provincial agencies such as BC Ferries. I wonder what the federal government has to say about this new deal."According to the Times Colonist, Farnworth has expressed concern over the move, and the procurement of services from "any country that is actively harming Canada’s economy." He said he wished there had been "more involvement from Canadian shipyards."Bhangu went on to urge the federal government to conduct a national security review of the deal if nobody at the provincial level steps in to prevent it from happening."If this process had started eight years ago, when the NDP first took office," he added, "we could have explored Canadian or allied shipbuilding options — potentially at lower cost and with greater economic benefit for our own communities.".While no Canadian companies bid on the project, BC Conservative leader John Rustad slammed the premier for missing a deadline that could have seen the four ships built in Norway, a country that is more aligned with Canadian values.He demanded that Eby tell British Columbians what went wrong..Rustad says Eby 'abandoning Canadian workers' by awarding BC Ferries contract to Chinese company."We want to know: what's the extra cost from the NDP missing the Norway deal?" Rustad asked. "British Columbians deserve transparency — not botched procurement and crisis management."BC Ferries CEO Nicholas Jimenez justified the decision to go with a Chinese manufacturer by arguing that they provided "the best deal for British Columbians and ... the best deal for BC Ferries.""We did site visits at the shipyard, and I've visited numerous shipyards around the world," he said, per CityNews. "There is good evidence of safety culture at the CMI shipyard. The single highest rated criteria for us was safety management."
