We pay the same federal taxes. Why don’t we get fair ferry funding?
British Columbians pay the same federal taxes as people in Atlantic Canada. We help fund national transportation infrastructure from coast to coast. But when it comes to ferries, coastal communities in B.C. are being treated very differently.
For Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast, the North Coast and other coastal communities, ferries aren’t a luxury. They are marine highways.
They connect people to work, school, medical appointments, family, small businesses, tourism, goods and essential services. When fares go up, the cost of living goes up. When service is reduced or unreliable, communities can be cut off.
Gord Johns is leading the effort in Parliament to secure fair, stable, long-term federal operational support for BC Ferries. Without action, British Columbians could face significant fare increases, service reductions, or both.
You can help by signing this e-petition, which Gord will table in the House of Commons. Your support will help demonstrate the need for fair federal ferry funding for coastal British Columbia.
Sign Parliamentary Petition e-7474
BC Ferries has warned that, without additional government funding, ferry users could face fare increases of at least 30 per cent by 2028.
The upcoming BC Ferries Performance Term 7 review process will help determine fares, service levels and funding requirements for the next five years.
The decisions being made over the coming months could affect ferry affordability, service levels and the cost of living in coastal communities for years to come.
The time to act is now!
Sign Parliamentary Petition e-7474
Read Motion M-35
Write to federal leaders and ministers
Tell them you support Motion M-35 and fair federal operational support for BC Ferries. When you do, please cc MP Johns on your correspondence. NOTE: Postage is not required.
Contact your local government
Ask your mayor and council to pass a resolution supporting Motion M-35, write to the Prime Minister and federal ministers, and support fair federal ferry funding.
Read Tofino's Letter of Support
Contact your Chamber of Commerce or Board of Trade
Ask local business organizations to endorse Motion M-35, write to federal leaders and ministers, highlight the economic impacts of rising ferry costs and support fair federal ferry funding.
Share this campaign
Share this webpage, Motion M-35, Parliamentary E-Petition e-7474, videos and campaign materials with your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.
Here's what you should know about ferry funding
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BC Ferries carries more than 22 million passengers annually and is one of the largest ferry systems in the world. Yet ferry users pay approximately 70 per cent of BC Ferries’ costs through fares and fees, while the Province of British Columbia contributes approximately 24 per cent and the federal government contributes about 3 per cent.
This campaign is not about taking anything away from Atlantic Canada. Maritimers deserve strong federal support for their ferries. Their coastal communities rely on those services too. This is about fairness.
For too long, Ottawa has relied on outdated agreements and technical distinctions to justify this imbalance. Marine Atlantic is a federal Crown corporation, while BC Ferries is provincially administered. Some east coast routes are tied to older constitutional or interprovincial commitments.
But none of this changes the reality for people in B.C. who are paying hundreds of dollars to get to the mainland, attend medical appointments, visit family, keep small businesses moving, or receive essential goods and services.
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As Gord says
“Vancouver Island and the B.C. coast shouldn’t have to become a province of their own to get fair ferry funding.”
Vancouver Island has changed. The funding formula hasn’t.
Federal ferry funding arrangements were developed decades ago, when Vancouver Island had a much smaller population and different transportation needs.
Today, Vancouver Island is home to more than one million people. Its population is larger than New Brunswick’s, larger than the combined populations of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, and approaching the population of Nova Scotia.
The population has changed. The economy has changed. The transportation needs have changed. The federal funding formula hasn’t.
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Ferry funding Myth-Busting
Myth: The federal government has already solved the problem through Infrastructure Bank funding and pandemic support. |
Low-interest loans can help finance vessels and infrastructure, and Canada Infrastructure Bank financing is expected to save BC Ferries approximately $26 million annually over 25 years through lower borrowing costs.
But loans still have to be repaid. They are not operating subsidies. Emergency COVID funding was temporary. It does not replace fair, stable, long-term operational funding.
The basic imbalance remains.
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Myth: Atlantic ferry systems receive more support because they connect provinces.
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Some Atlantic ferry routes are tied to older constitutional, federal or interprovincial commitments.
But federal funding for B.C. ferries is also based on outdated arrangements negotiated roughly 50 years ago, when Vancouver Island had about 450,000 residents.
Today, Vancouver Island has more than one million people, and BC Ferries is one of the largest ferry systems in the world. Federal funding arrangements have not kept pace with population growth, economic activity or transportation needs.
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Myth: Fair ferry funding means taking support away from Atlantic Canada. |
Not at all.
Atlantic Canadians deserve strong ferry support.
The issue is ensuring that coastal British Columbians receive fair treatment too.
Fair support for BC Ferries does not require reducing support elsewhere.
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How Gord is fighting for you
Gord Johns has repeatedly raised ferry funding fairness in Parliament and is pressing the federal government to recognize BC Ferries as essential national transportation infrastructure, by:
- Introducing Motion M-35 calling for fair, stable, long-term federal operational support for BC Ferries, on June 5, 2026;
- Sponsoring Parliamentary E-Petition e-7474;
- Meeting with Minister Gregor Robertson to press for federal action;
- Raising the issue in the House of Commons;
- Challenging the federal government on ferry funding inequities; and,
- Working with local governments, chambers of commerce, labour organizations and community leaders to build support for change.
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British Columbians pay the same federal taxes.
B.C. deserves fair ferry funding too.