The group representing development employees throughout B.C. has written an open letter to BC Ferries concerning their choice to award a contract to a Chinese language firm to construct 4 new vessels.
The BC Constructing Trades, which represents 45,000 unionized development employees within the province, mentioned it’s “deeply disillusioned” to study concerning the Crown company’s choice.
“Canadian jobs ought to all the time come first, however in at present’s financial local weather, it’s extra vital than ever that governments prioritize the spending of tax {dollars} domestically 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 help and purchase domestically produced items and providers. There have been zero native content material necessities within the bid — successfully freezing B.C. shipyards and B.C. employees out of the bidding course of.”
Final week, BC Ferries mentioned it had chosen China Retailers Business Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai), following bid evaluations, worldwide website visits and third-party reference checks.
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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 trade is trying to reshore work, put money into native communities and deepen our autonomy, BC Ferries is transferring in the wrong 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.”
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BC Ferries contract awarded to Chinese language shipyard
In keeping 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.
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All 4 vessels are set to get replaced by the newly constructed ships.
“A era of BC Constructing Trades members earned their apprenticeships on these vessels,” the letter states. “They stayed of their communities, invested within the native financial system and spent the next many years constructing infrastructure throughout the province.
“A brand new era of British Columbians had been prepared and desperate to tackle this chance to construct these ferries at residence. With the precise procurement construction, BC Ferries may have simply leveraged B.C.’s world-class shipyards. Only recently, Seaspan expanded services to help federal shipbuilding contracts.”
B.C. Transportation Minister Mike Farnworth mentioned final week that whereas BC Ferries is an unbiased group that makes its personal industrial choices, he was “disillusioned (in) the truth that there may be no more Canadian content material” within the plan.
BC Constructing Trades mentioned it needs BC Ferries to rethink its choice and develop a plan to construct the ships in British Columbia.
“This choice, on this second in Canada’s historical past, will eternally be a stain on BC Ferries,” the group mentioned within the letter.
“We stand prepared to offer a neighborhood workforce to construct elements of those ferries in B.C. There may be nonetheless time to do the precise factor and reverse course.”
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