Rustad to Eby: Cancel the China Ferry Deal Now
VICTORIA, BC: John Rustad, Leader of the Official Opposition and Conservative MLA for Nechako Lakes, is demanding Premier David Eby cancel BC Ferries’ $1 billion Chinese shipbuilding contract after Beijing escalated its trade war against Canada yesterday with crushing new Chinese tariffs targeting Canadian farmers.
“This week, China slapped a 75.8% tariff on Canadian canola – on top of existing tariffs hammering our fishermen and seafood producers,” said Rustad. “And yet the BC NDP is still ready to hand over a billion dollars to a Chinese shipyard. That’s economic insanity. What Eby and the NDP are doing is a complete betrayal of BC and Canada.”
Rustad said B.C. taxpayers shouldn’t be funding jobs in China while Canadian shipyards are capable of doing the work instead.
“If China is going to attack our farmers and fishermen, they shouldn’t get rewarded with billion-dollar BC Ferries contracts. Cancel the China ferry deal. Bring our jobs home.”
Rustad warned that every dollar sent to China for the ferries is a dollar taken from Canadians. “Every dollar we send to China for this ferry contract is a dollar we are taking away from Canadian shipyards, Canadian tradespeople, and Canadian businesses,” Rustad added. “The NDP have sold out BC farmers, fishers, and shipbuilders.”
“This isn’t complicated – stand with B.C. workers, or stand with Beijing. David Eby needs to choose what side he’s on.”
The Leader of the Official Opposition emphasized that these new canola tariffs are just the latest in a pattern of hostile trade actions from China, which already maintains barriers against Canadian seafood exports – harming B.C.’s fishermen and coastal communities.
“Cancel the China ferry deal. Build them here,” said John Rustad.
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