Couple notes.
If you read the mandate letters handed out by the BC NDP to government agencies, many don’t have any real direction to take action on Canadian supply chain integrity / tariff stuff. For example the BC FSA mandate from May 2025 includes verbiage like:
In the current economic and fiscal context including the threat of U.S. tariffs and other global economic challenges affecting British Columbian families, your organization is to work with ministry staff to review all existing programs and initiatives to ensure programs remain relevant, efficient, sustainable, grow the economy, and help keep costs low for British Columbians.
The direction of action in the second half of that line, does not require specific action in response to the tariffs/global trade situation noted in the first half – it’s more a general direction to try to “keep things cheap”, than it is “try to keep things Canadian / secure”. And that’s the directive to an industry defined as critical infrastructure in Canada.
Similarly, the mandate letter to the folks in charge of BC Ferries makes mention of the global issues / tariffs, but mostly directs the Minister of Transportation and Transit to keep costs low, with no explicit directives to ensure Canadian supply chain sovereignty nor security.
So despite all the “pro Canada” marketing that goes on by our government, they aren’t actually telling anyone in an operational sense to follow through on any of it. Hell, our government couldn’t function without Microsoft even – it’s hard to argue we have sovereignty, when our own government is dependant on a subscription to a US company to exist/function.
Other note worth pointing out is that the process for getting the ferries was a bid open to Canadian shipyards, but no Canadian ship builders bid. Freeland can be as dismayed as she likes, if no Canadian business felt capable of competing for the work, it’s not like the government can force them to take it. Besides, companies like Irving Shipyards, with their Bermuda tax haven to dodge taxes in Canada, aren’t exactly stellar role models of Canadian industry in the first place.
The feds and prov governments have basically engineered Canada’s economy to be driven by Oil exports, housing and healthcare, for practically decades. Throwing your hands up and acting all shocked and dismayed that other industries have generally withered and died in the country, is just stupid. It’s not like Freeland and the Liberals weren’t part of causing this problem for the past 40+ years – JT was the guy who even declared Canada a post-national country, abandoning even the idea of a unifying Canadian identity.
I agree their mandates don’t even support them.
I’m genuinely baffled at why the Liberals keep digging at this.
The procurement process was substantially opaque to the public if they actually found a problem within the undisclosed details then it would be fair game.
This is just the equivalent of someone reading a title of a article then going on a 1hr podcast rant about it.
To this day Carney hasn’t done anything to justify why I voted for him aside from not being Pierre. This cabinet has been embarrassing.
Robertson as the Housing minister has been nothing but embarrassing sound bites on top of this stuff.
Though Robertson said he had asked the bank to reverse course on its decision, the bank’s CEO testified, “to the best of my recollection,” cancelling the loan was not discussed in their conversations.
Rather, Corey said, he explained to Robertson the logic of why the Canada Infrastructure Bank made the loan. He said its mandate is to invest in infrastructure across the country and to benefit Canadians.
What about people trying to get home. If they cut this loan off and it becomes a substantial delay for the new ferries the Liberals is going to pay for it in BC seats.
Freeland rejected that her responses were flippant, and said as minister of transport and internal trade, “I am doing everything that I can do within my jurisdiction to prioritize Canadian workers, and particularly workers in the steel, aluminum, and lumber industries.”
Also as usual even when given the opportunity to actually be helpful the Canadian’s the Conservative go out of their way to shit the bed.
Conservative MP Leslyn Lewis (Haldimand-Norfolk, Ont.) pointed out the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s mandate also includes promoting the Canadian economy, and said it should be disbanded.
Conservative MP Dan Albas (Okanagan Lake West—South Kelowna), a vice-chair of the House Transport Committee, used a maritime metaphor to describe the disconnect between Freeland’s letter and the loan.
“You’re like a ship sailing at night, seeing another one sail by, except those are our jobs, going to China, to a shipyard that’s owned and managed by the state,” he said. “Minister, why aren’t you saying, ‘No I won’t support this loan. It’s contrary to what the government’s intentions are and what Canadians are asking for.’”
Link to the story says the page can’t be found. Here is the corrected link.
Here is an archive link.
Thanks. Updated the link.