FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BC Chamber of Commerce backs MP Johns’ call for fair, stable federal funding for BC Ferries
OTTAWA – NDP MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni) is welcoming the support of the BC Chamber of Commerce for his parliamentary Motion M-35, which calls on the federal government to establish fair, stable and long-term operational funding for BC Ferries.
In a September 24 letter to federal Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson, the BC Chamber said its support reflects the views of its network of local chambers of commerce and boards of trade, representing more than 35,000 businesses across British Columbia.
The Chamber warned that without additional government support, average BC Ferries fares could rise by at least 30 per cent when Performance Term 7 begins in 2028. It said those increases would affect not only ferry passengers, but businesses throughout the province by driving up the cost of moving workers, supplies and goods.
“This is a powerful endorsement from British Columbia’s business community,” said Johns. “I want to thank the BC Chamber of Commerce for the important work it does advocating for businesses and communities across our province. Local governments, First Nations, workers, seniors, young people and ferry-dependent communities have already been calling on Ottawa to act. Now businesses across B.C. are adding their voice because reliable and affordable ferries are essential to our economy.”
The Chamber’s letter points to the disparity between federal support for BC Ferries and federally supported East Coast ferry services. It says federal operational support amounted to approximately $1.63 per BC Ferries passenger in 2024–25, compared with approximately $291 per passenger for federally supported East Coast ferry systems. Measured by population, the Chamber said federal support amounts to roughly $6 to $7 per person in British Columbia, compared with $120 to $125 per person in Atlantic Canada.
The Chamber also stressed that BC Ferries is an essential part of the province’s transportation network, connecting communities, workers and businesses and supporting tourism, trade and supply chains.
It highlighted the consequences of unreliable or unaffordable ferry service in communities including the Alberni and Cowichan valleys, Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Qualicum Beach, Tofino, Pender Island, Delta, North Vancouver and Prince Rupert.
“The Chamber is making the same point we’ve heard in community after community that ferries are not a luxury in coastal British Columbia. They are part of our highway system,” said Johns. “Businesses depend on them to move goods, employees and customers. Families depend on them to get to work, medical appointments and essential services.”
Johns’ Motion M-35 calls on the federal government to recognize BC Ferries as essential national transportation infrastructure, modernize the nearly 50-year-old federal funding arrangement and establish stable, long-term operational funding before Performance Term 7 begins.
The BC Chamber also noted that repayable loans for vessels or other capital projects cannot substitute for operational funding because loans add future obligations and do not support the cost of providing daily ferry service.
“British Columbians support federal investment in ferry services on the East Coast,” Johns said. “What we are asking for is fairness. Ottawa needs to recognize that British Columbia’s marine highway deserves a genuine federal partnership too.”
The Chamber’s endorsement adds to growing support for M-35 from First Nations, local governments, chambers of commerce, community organizations and British Columbians across the coast. Johns is calling on the federal government to act before Performance Term 7 begins, modernize the outdated federal funding agreement and establish a fair, sustainable partnership that helps protect ferry users from steep fare increases while supporting reliable service and B.C.’s coastal economy.
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Media Contact: Leanne Rathje, Cell: 250-240-0487, leanne.rathje.809@parl.gc.ca
Link to presentation of petition in the House of Commons: https://youtu.be/34iFau2wAAw
For additional background information and letters from other Chambers, local and regional governments, tourist organizations: https://www.gordjohns.ca/fair_federal_ferry_funding_now
