British Columbia Premier David Eby tore into the federal government on Monday after Ottawa slashed ferry fares on the East Coast by 50 per cent.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the rate cuts for the Eastern Canada Ferry Services, which serve P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec and Marine Atlantic, which connects Newfoundland to Nova Scotia, earlier Monday.
The fare cuts were a federal Liberal election promise.
Eby said major new subsidies for East Coast ferries but not for those in B.C. are a symptom of “structural unfairness.”
“Not only are we paying billions of additional equalization to Quebec and Manitoba and a billion dollars to Ontario, but also we have to watch the federal government show up on the East Coast and subsidize ferry users that already get a $300 subsidy per each $1 that a B.C. ferry user gets,” Eby said.
“The ask is very straightforward. We need the same per-capita funding, the same per-person funding that any province gets. Through any other announcement that’s made across the country.”
BC Ferries has been grappling with surging demand and aging vessels. The company warned last year it could need to raise fares by as much as 30 per cent amid rising costs.
Earlier this year, the company announced plans to procure four new, larger vessels from a Chinese shipyard, a move that drew criticism from multiple quarters — including both the federal Liberal government and Conservative MPs.
Earlier this month, the House of Commons transport committee opened a probe into a federal $1 billion loan BC Ferries received for the purchase.
BC Ferries said the Chinese bid was $1.2 billion cheaper than competing European offers, and presented the best option to keep passenger fares down.
The shipyard, China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards (CMI Weihai), has also built ferries for Marine Atlantic, one of the recipients of the new federal ferry fare subsidies.