The reality may be there is no physical space to build these ships in BC and there were no Canadian bidders, but let’s not forget how we got here.
The BC Liberals did everything in their wheelhouse to capsize the shipbuilding industry in BC by sending new work off-shore to Germany, Poland and Romania over the past 15 years.
The downside to that continued behaviour is BC trades workers are falling behind on new technology, and apprenticeship opportunities.
BC is also losing out on the economic benefit of building ferries in BC. Not just the direct jobs in the shipyards, but the spin-off jobs created when local companies supply their materials and labour created from the extra economic activity, like we saw when we built BC’s Spirit Class Super-ferries in the 90’s.
These are good mortgage-paying, family-raising jobs leaving our Province in areas where low-paying service jobs have become the primary reason for low-unemployment, a negative trend we should all have concern over.
Submitted by,
Phil Venoit,
Business Manager
International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers Local 230