The B.C. government’s elbows-up, Canada-first, buy-B.C. policy is about to undergo its first serious stress test, with news Tuesday that BC Ferries signed a multibillion-dollar deal with the Chinese government to build four major new vessels.

Ferries CEO Nicholas Jimenez said he’s been assured China Merchants Group (which on its website describes itself as a “key state-owned enterprise directly administered by the central government”) can build the ferries in a quick and cost-efficient way. No Canadian companies bid on the vessels, he added.

“Our focus is principally on getting the best deal for British Columbians and getting the best deal for BC Ferries,” said Jimenez.

“When it comes to things like trade policy, industrial policy, geopolitics, I think we would really defer that to the federal and provincial governments and expect them to manage and work those issues.”

It is a decision likely to be fraught with controversy, given China is a hostile international force to Canada and its allies. Ties have frayed since China detained two Canadians for spying in 2018. The two countries have been exchanging tariffs over the past year, with China hitting Canadian canola oil and seafood. China has also been accused of supplying weapons to Russia in its illegal occupation of Ukraine, which is receiving Canadian........

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