Freeland recalled to testify regarding BC Ferries’ agreement with Chinese shipyard 

September 19,2025

RED FM News Desk

Former Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland is being called back to testify before a House of Commons committee after emails suggested Transport Canada had weeks of notice that BC Ferries planned to buy four new vessels from a Chinese shipyard. 

The motion for her testimony was unanimously approved by the transport committee following a report by The Globe and Mail on emails between BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez and Transport Canada deputy minister Arun Thangaraj. 

Freeland had expressed dismay in June over BC Ferries’ decision to purchase from state-owned China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards. The Canada Infrastructure Bank provided BC Ferries with a $1 billion loan to finance the purchase. 

According to the report, a April 29 email from Jimenez to Thangaraj outlined potential national-security issues with the deal. In a June follow-up, Jimenez wrote that he was “troubled” by Freeland’s reaction, noting he had given six weeks’ notice before the public announcement. BC Ferries stated it would not release the documents publicly. 

The committee’s motion calls for Freeland, other officials, and representatives from Canadian shipyards to attend further meetings. Conservative MP Dan Albas criticized the delay, saying it undermines Freeland’s claim that she wanted BC Ferries to buy Canadian. 

BC Ferries said no Canadian companies bid on the contract after a five-year procurement process. Freeland had previously testified on Aug. 1 alongside Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson and infrastructure bank officials. She recently stepped down as transport minister to become Ottawa’s special envoy for Ukraine reconstruction but remains an MP. 

B.C. Premier David Eby criticized federal concerns over the loan, noting Ottawa has funded ferries in Eastern Canada, including from the same shipyard. Eby highlighted the disparity in federal subsidies—$1 per ferry user in B.C. versus $300 in Eastern Canada—and called for fair treatment for B.C. ferry users. 

He emphasized the need for increased Canadian shipbuilding capacity and fairness in federal support, referencing the Ala’suinu ferry, built by Weihai Shipyards, which began service between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland last year.