‘Equal funding is the answer’: Eby says Ottawa must lift subsidy for B.C. ferry users

VICTORIA — Premier David Eby has called for the federal government to float more money for ferry users in British Columbia, adding that equal funding “is the answer,” after Ottawa cut ferry rates in Atlantic Canada.

Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that starting Aug. 1, there will be a 50 per cent fare cut for passenger, vehicle and commercial users of Marine Atlantic — a constitutionally mandated ferry service connecting Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

Eby said now is the time for the federal government to have a “serious look” at the current funding formula for B.C. ferry users, which has come under scrutiny in the wake of federal criticism of a BC Ferries contract with a Chinese ship builder.

“The ask is very straightforward,” Eby said. “We need the same per-capita funding that any other province gets through any other announcements that (are) made across the country.”

He added that “fairness, equality, and access” to programs from the federal government is “mission-critical.”

The premier acknowledged that Carney’s announcement was an election promise, but said Ottawa must “up the federal subsidy” for B.C. ferry users, which has not changed for almost two decades.

Eby has noted previously that the federal government subsidizes ferry users in Atlantic Canada by about $300 per person, while ferry users in B.C. receive $1 per person.

He said Monday that provinces must receive the same per-capita funding, regardless of the program, renewing a familiar complaint about B.C. being treated unfairly under Canada’s system of equalization payments.

“Doesn’t matter, if it is an economic program, a subsidy for ferries, subsidies for road building, subsidies for immigration, health care funding, child care funding — you name it,” he said. “Equal funding is the answer.”

Carney’s announcement comes after the federal government condemned the BC Ferries contract with a Chinese state-owned company to build four vessels, even as the Canada Infrastructure Bank lent the company money for the ferries.

That same Chinese shipyard, Chinese Merchants Industry Weihai, also built one of Atlantic Canada’s newest vessels through an agreement with Stena RoRo.

No Canadian companies bid for the BC Ferries contract, and the company, which is solely owned by the provincial government, has repeatedly said the Chinese shipyard had “the strongest bid by a significant margin.”

BC Ferries said in a statement that it recognized the federal government’s decision to reduce ferry and bridge prices in Atlantic Canada.

“Ferry service is just as essential in British Columbia,” it added. “It’s a vital part of our transportation network, connecting people, goods and services across coastal communities every day.”

The total value of the federal contribution to BC Ferries is $37.8 million in 2025-26. According to BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union, federal support for Marine Atlantic is almost $130 million.

BC Ferries said it uses a different funding model to deliver services. Partial funding comes from the province, with some money coming from the federal government, under an arrangement negotiated in 1977.

“But we also operate one of the largest and most complex ferry systems in the world, and unlike many other jurisdictions, the vast majority of system costs are paid directly by ferry users,” the statement said.

“Without additional support, fares would need to increase by more than 30 per cent in 2028 alone, just to keep up with operating and capital pressures,” it added.

The statement went on to say that “continued collaboration” across all levels of government will be necessary to keep ferry travel “reliable, affordable and sustainable” for coastal British Columbians.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.

Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press