Overview

• Pierre Poilievre and BC Conservative Leader John Rustad have called on federal and provincial governments to cancel the $1-billion loan and contract after China imposed a 75.8% duty on Canadian canola seed
• BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez told MPs the operator faced a choice between a Chinese bid or no new vessels, with domestic yards unable to compete due to capacity constraints and higher costs
• Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson emphasized the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s independence and said the executed loan cannot be unwound
• Major Canadian shipyards Seaspan and Davie report being fully booked through the decade, underlining warnings that cancelling the deal could add over $1 billion in costs and delay vessel delivery by years
• The House of Commons transport committee launched a formal review of the financing and procurement, while unions and the BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union’s Build Them Here campaign press for future domestic ship construction