> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thecanadareport.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # BC Marine Unions Demand Local Ferry Construction Amid Trade Dispute - URL: https://www.thecanadareport.ca/bc-ferries-local-construction/ - Published: 2026-09-01T00:22:17.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-01T00:26:20.000Z - Description: BC Ferries unions demand local construction after four new vessels are awarded to China, putting B.C. shipbuilding jobs at stake. - Author: Steve Cogbill - Tags: Daily News, British Columbia | Sourced from 3 independent sources · no points in dispute | | --------------------------------------------------------- | My Bulkley Lakes Now, CTV News, and Abbotsford News Every key fact in this report is confirmed by more than one independent source. 11 key facts · 11 corroborated · none disputed Allegations described here are not proven in court unless stated. A new push from B.C.’s shipbuilding and ferry unions is trying to turn anger over BC Ferries’ China contract into a promise about what comes next. A coalition of B.C. labour and marine industry unions launched a campaign Monday urging BC Ferries to commit to building future ferries in British Columbia. The campaign follows BC Ferries’ decision to have four new ferries built in China rather than in Canada, with those vessels intended to replace aging ships in the ferry operator’s fleet. ## Unions push for local builds For union leaders, the argument is about more than where steel is cut and assembled. Supporters of local ferry construction say building in B.C. would preserve skilled work and keep more economic benefits in the province. This push for local ferry construction comes in the wake of significant [backlash against B.C. Ferries over a controversial](https://www.thecanadareport.ca/bc-ferries-shipbuilding-china-controversy/) $1 billion Chinese shipbuilding contract, highlighting the ongoing debate about domestic versus international manufacturing. “What we’re asking for is for BC Ferries to commit today that they will build ferries in B.C., and we can pull together the conditions and the consortium to meet that moment,” Brynn Bourke, director of BC Building Trades, said at Monday’s campaign launch. Bourke framed the issue as a choice about whether B.C. rebuilds its shipbuilding base or continues sending ferry construction abroad. “We can either lean into our long and proud history of shipbuilding in B.C. and rebuild an industry that has supported thousands of British Columbians and their families for decades or we can let this once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring ferry construction home pass us by and continue building ferries in China,” she said. ## BC Ferries points to capacity BC Ferries says no Canadian shipyard submitted a final proposal for the four-ferry contract. The company says it supports a stronger domestic shipbuilding industry, but that local yards need government and industry investment to compete for large passenger-vessel construction. Without that support, BC Ferries says, extra local construction costs would fall to ferry customers. “There are real economic benefits to growing Canada’s shipbuilding industry, and we support that objective,” BC Ferries said in a statement cited in the source reporting. “But building the capacity to compete for large passenger-vessel construction requires investment by government and industry.” That response goes to the centre of the dispute. Union and shipbuilding advocates are not only asking BC Ferries to choose B.C. yards. They are arguing that the conditions for choosing them have to be built in advance. ## The competition problem Shipbuilding advocates say B.C. yards are disadvantaged when competitors receive government support, subsidies or local-content protections that B.C. does not provide. Bourke said local firms were being asked to compete against foreign shipyards backed by industrial policies and local-content requirements that were not applied to B.C.’s own ferry orders. Union leaders say the planning must start now to create the steady work, capacity, industry partnerships and trained workforce needed for the next B.C.-built ferries. “What we’re saying is the planning has to start now,” Bourke said. “The planning needs to start now to put us in a position to make sure that the next vessels are going to be built in British Columbia.” Scott Lunny, director of United Steelworkers District 3, said the provincial government needs to help bring the players together. “This coalition is a start, but our provincial government needs to take up the reins and bring together shipbuilding companies, workers, BC Ferries, training institutions and Ottawa to build a long-term shipbuilding strategy for this province,” Lunny said. ## Repair concerns and province’s role The B.C. Ferry and Marine Workers Union says overseas-built vessels can be slower or more complicated to repair because specialized teams or parts may have to come from abroad. “We know that ships built overseas sometimes require international teams to be flown in for repairs and for custom parts to be shipped long distances,” said Eric McNeely, provincial president of the union. “Buying overseas doesn’t end when the ship arrives. It follows us for the life of the vessel.” B.C.’s Transportation and Transit Ministry says it wants more shipbuilding in the province and supports long-term investment and partnerships to build marine industrial capacity. “Building a competitive domestic shipbuilding industry requires long-term investment and partnership between government, industry, labour and training providers,” the ministry said in an emailed statement cited in the source reporting. For now, the four ferries at the centre of the dispute are headed to be built in China. The campaign launched Monday is aimed at the next decision, and at whether B.C. can build the capacity, certainty and workforce that unions say are needed before another major ferry contract leaves the country. **Reader-funded. No ads. No paywall.** The Canada Report is independent, reader-funded Canadian news — no advertisers, nothing behind a paywall, kept free for everyone. If you value it, you can help keep it that way. [Support The Canada Report →](https://www.thecanadareport.ca/support/) --- [*Source 1*](https://www.mybulkleylakesnow.com/b-c-unions-renew-call-to-bring-ferry-construction-home-amid-canada-u-s-trade-war/?ref=thecanadareport.ca) *|* [*Source 2*](https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/article/skilled-trade-unions-team-up-to-call-on-bc-ferries-to-build-its-future-fleet-in-bc/?ref=thecanadareport.ca) *|* [*Source 3*](https://abbynews.com/2026/08/31/b-c-unions-coordinate-to-press-province-to-make-future-ferries-locally/?ref=thecanadareport.ca) ## Sign up for The Canada Report Your modern digest of Canadian news. Friendly, clear, and in your inbox. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.