Principles. Policies. Timing. Context. Optics. They all matter in politics.

Into this bouillabaisse we present to you today the curious case of the Chinese ferries. Every one of these political elements is now akimbo and susceptible to skepticism, criticism and cynicism.

In our new era of elbows-up, BC Ferries—and fairly or not, the David Eby NDP government by extension—is instead choosing a path of arms-embracing in selecting China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards to build (at cost unknown) four sleek ferries to modernize its tired fleet.

The principle involved here is the sudden desire to reduce our dependence on foreign goods and services, seemingly even when they are a better buy from a taxpayer perspective, in order to keep the money in Canada as we withstand whatever U.S. President Donald Trump will agree to in the weeks and months ahead as an acceptable ransom of our hostage-taking. It also matters as a principle that this involves a big-ticket outlay to China, a country we do not always attach to positively. The ferry deal fails this.

The policies involved are a buy-B.C., buy-Canada, red tape-reduced, prosperity-promising combination of diversifying........

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