The largest shipyard in Canada is criticizing BC Ferries for a flawed procurement process it says was tilted from the start to award new ship construction contracts to the government of China.

Davie shipyard, the oldest and highest-capacity shipyard in the country, says BC Ferries never gave Canadian builders a real chance at competing for the billion-dollar contract to build four new large ships.

“Unfortunately, the procurement criteria were heavily weighted toward the lowest price, effectively favouring Chinese shipyards,” CEO James Davies wrote in a letter to Quebec MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval, the vice-chair of the federal transportation committee investigating the purchase.

“Davie made considerable efforts to balance the procurement criteria by requesting recognition of Canadian content and innovation-proposals that B.C. Ferries summarily rejected.

“Due to the inherent price disadvantage caused by massive state subsidies for Chinese shipyards, coupled with low wages, weak environmental standards, and minimal labour protections, no Canadian or Western shipyard could reasonably compete, leaving us with no choice but to withdraw.”

BC Ferries has faced national backlash for its decision to contract with a state-owned Chinese shipyard at a time when China is attacking Canada’s economy with crippling economic tariffs, faces accusations of interfering in Canadian elections and is arming Russia in its illegal occupation of Canadian ally Ukraine.

The deal........

© BIV