Fair Federal Ferry Funding: In The News

Local MP launches campaign for stable BC Ferries funding

“According to an analysis by the Library of Parliament, BC Ferries received approximately a-dollar-sixty-three in federal operational support per passenger in 2024-25, compared to that of 291-dollars for federally supported east coast ferry systems,” Johns said in the House of Commons in May.

Johns said BC Ferries has warned that without additional government funding, ferry users could face fare increases of at least 30 per cent by 2028.

He said ferries are not a luxury for coastal communities but marine highways that connect people to work, school, medical care, family, goods and essential services.

Vancouver Island MP calls for more equitable ferry fares across Canada

A Vancouver Island MP is calling on Ottawa to provide a further subsidy to BC Ferries.

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns called on the federal government to make ferry travel more equitable across the country Wednesday.

He says it’s not fair that ferry passengers in eastern Canada are subsidized so much more than those in western Canada.

MP takes Island issues to Ottawa

Courtenay – Alberni MP Gord Johns says there’s a huge disparity between east coast and west coast ferries.

He said BC Ferries received approximately $1.63 in federal funding per passenger, while east coast ferry systems received approximately $291 per passenger, roughly 178 times more than BC Ferries.

“We often hear about western alienation, well it’s real, and few large populations in Canada understand that feeling better than Vancouver Islanders,” he said. “This isn’t about taking away support from Atlantic Canadians – their ferry systems are essential national infrastructure – the question Vancouver Islanders are asking is why essential marine highways on the west coast aren’t treated with the same level of federal importance?”

Freeland called back to testify on BC Ferries’ deal with Chinese shipyard

Eby said he was disappointed there had not been more emphasis on what he called “the incredibly unfortunate treatment” of ferry users in British Columbia compared with those in Eastern Canada.

“The fact that the federal government paid for an entire ferry built at the same (Chinese) shipyard for Eastern Canada, and that it is somehow a problem that BC Ferries users get access to a low-interest loan, is bizarre,” he said.

“It is a situation where B.C. ferry users get, on average, $1 in federal subsidy, while eastern ferry users get $300 in federal subsidies. And so as a result, that disparity and that unfairness needs to be addressed.”

Premier calls for 'fair treatment' for ferry users in B.C. after Ottawa cuts fares in Eastern Canada

Premier David Eby is calling on Ottawa to increase the federal subsidy for ferry users in B.C. after Prime Minister Mark Carney followed through on a promise to lower ferry fares in Eastern Canada.

Eby said Monday that the federal government subsidizes ferry users on the East Coast by about $300 per person, while ferry users in B.C. receive $1 per person, and said provinces should receive the same per-capita funding, regardless of the program. 

The premier said Ottawa must up the federal subsidy for B.C. ferry users, which has not changed for almost two decades.