Public Works Minister Joel Lightbound yesterday called for federal contracts to be filled by Canadian suppliers during a visit to a British Columbia shipyard.He avoided comment on a $1.1 billion deal sending shipbuilding work to China which is now under Commons committee review.“Fostering partnerships with Canadian suppliers is an opportunity to maximize the national shipbuilding strategy’s potential and deliver even broader national benefits,” Lightbound said in a statement, per Blacklock's Reporter. “By strengthening domestic supply chains and prioritizing Canadian-made steel and materials, the strategy is taking another meaningful step forward and will play an even more central role in creating a resilient and prosperous economy.”Lightbound toured Seaspan ULC in North Vancouver, which is under contract to build two Coast Guard icebreakers using Canadian steel.The Minister did not address the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s 1.8% loan to BC Ferry Services Inc. to spend $1.1 billion on four hybrid ferries from China’s state-run Weihai Shipyards. Testimony before the Commons transport committee on August 1 revealed no Canadian yard bid on the contract.“Canadian companies have made the same decision, building almost 100 ships in China over the last decade,” said BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez, who told MPs domestic yards were at capacity.Conservative MP Aaron Gunn questioned whether Canada was “bankrolling the offshoring of critical shipbuilding jobs to an adversarial regime” to exploit lower wages and weaker safety, environmental and labour standards. Jimenez replied that the Chinese yard “met the same standards” and was “bringing significant value.”
