In The News

IN THE NEWS: Qualicum Beach council backs call for fair federal funding for BC Ferries

Qualicum Beach council will send a letter supporting Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns’s campaign urging the federal government to provide long-term operational funding for BC Ferries comparable to ferry services in Eastern Canada.

Council unanimously approved the motion during its regular meeting on July 15, after Coun. Scott Harrison proposed the town endorse the MP’s advocacy efforts.

Johns is calling on Ottawa to modernize the 1977 federal agreement governing BC Ferries and provide stable, long-term operational funding. He argues that without additional federal support, British Columbians could face fare increases of at least 30 per cent by 2028, service reductions, or both.

IN THE NEWS: Premiers must protect health care, says NDP

As Canada’s Premiers gathered in Charlottetown today for their summer meeting at the Council of the Federation, NDP Member of Parliament and federal NDP critic for Health Gord Johns addressed a Canadian Health Coalition rally with a message on how to save Canada’s public healthcare system.

“Medicare was built on a simple promise. When you’re sick or injured, you get the care you need based on your health, not on the size of your bank account,” Johns said.

“But today, that promise is under threat. And instead of standing up for Medicare, the Prime Minister is standing by and watching it be dismantled,” said Johns, who is the federal MP for Courtenay-Alberni on Vancouver Island.

IN THE NEWS: Local MP launches campaign for stable BC Ferries funding

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns is leading the Fair Federal Ferry Funding campaign, which includes an electronic petition that he plans to submit to the House of Commons. Johns said he hopes to gather signatures from residents of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Johns said federal operational support for BC Ferries is significantly lower than funding provided to ferry services in Atlantic Canada. He has previously raised the issue in the House of Commons.

“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.

IN THE NEWS: Courtenay-Alberni MP says former ferry in Fanny Bay shows the problem with boats selling for $1

The region’s Member of Parliament for Courtenay-Alberni, Gord Johns, says the issue highlights a common problem with derelict vessels when they’re sold for $1.

“People are trading vessels that are ferries at this point, where clearly they’re trading and selling them to people who don’t have the means to maintain them or dispose of them properly and there’s no accountability,” he noted.

Johns says there is a solution in Bill C-244, which is now before parliament.

“It would make sure that sellers are going to make sure that those prospective buyers have the resources and capacity to take care of those vessels and that’s one step but we also need to make sure there’s money in the abandonned and wrecked vessels program.”

IN THE NEWS: Neighbours concerned about environmental damage after boat smashes on Qualicum Beach

The region’s NDP MP Gord Johns says people have notified his office with their concerns about the lack of response from the Coast Guard.

“It’s way cheaper to get ahead of it and the government needs to get ahead of it right now,” said Johns. “We’ve got over 900 vessels that pose an immediate threat to our coast that need to be removed and recycled. The government needs to roll out a plan and let coastal British Columbians know what that plan is.”

Johns says federal programs to deal with derelict vessels lack appropriate funding.

“I flagged with the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans in mid-June the impact of them not funding those programs adequately and I didn’t get any response from her in a face-to-face meeting,” said Johns.

IN THE NEWS: Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns presses feds for better ship recyling regulations

MP Gord Johns (Courtenay-Alberni) is pressing the Canadian Government to take action on the country’s growing ship recycling gap, as well as invest in the infrastructure needed to retire aging vessels responsibly.

Johns spoke to the House of Commons on June 11 during Question Period, telling the House that Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy focus on building and maintaining vessels, but has neglected to form a plan for retiring those vessels. Johns said that more than 900 derelict and end-of-life vessels are sitting off the province’s coast. The derelict vessels endanger the marine environment. Additionally, ships in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Coast Guard are nearing retirement.

“Canada has a national shipbuilding strategy, but no national ship recycling strategy,” said Johns. “We’re building and maintaining vessels, but we don’t have the capacity we need to safely retire them here at home. That’s a missed economic opportunity and a serious environmental risk for coastal communities.”

IN THE NEWS: Carney government passes law allowing authorization of banned pesticides

The federal government has brought in major changes to how pesticides are regulated in Canada, granting cabinet the power to authorize their use — even pesticides Health Canada has deemed are unsafe.

"The Liberal government chose to shut down debate and fast-track the passing of their omnibus bill," the NDP said in a statement.

IN THE NEWS: End of NHL broadcasts on CBC raises public access questions, advocacy group says

Gord Johns, a New Democratic Party member of Parliament from B.C., said watching the NHL should be accessible to all Canadians, noting that some people will be priced out or live in remote communities where access can be limited.

“It is disappointing that the corporate structures of the big Rogers and others have taken over the bidding process,” Johns said. “Now it just means a number of people are excluded from getting a chance to watch their favourite sport, especially people in the North and remote areas, people that don't have the economics to be able to access Rogers.

“It's a sad day for Canada when CBC's not broadcasting the NHL anymore … I hope that they'll revisit it and continue to ensure that CBC is really a reflection of Canadian culture and not just our news, but our culture and our way of life — and hockey's part of that.”

IN THE NEWS: Senate Report On Canada’s Wildfire Crisis

Courtenay-Alberni MP Gord Johns says a new Senate report on Canada's wildfire crisis backs many of the measures the NDP has been pushing for to improve the country's wildfire response.

Johns says the report highlights the need for stronger federal leadership and long-term planning as climate change leads to longer and more destructive wildfire seasons.

IN THE NEWS: MP Gord Johns celebrates government funding 10 firefighting aircraft

Johns has been calling on the government to establish a national aerial firefighting plan for years. The government announced it is funding four aerial firefighting air tankers, one birddog plane, five heavy life helicopters and two support assets as part of the aerial firefighting force. Provincial and territorial firefighting agencies can request access to the aerial firefighting fleet when they need it.

The 2025 budget announced $316.7 million over five years to establish the fleet, something Johns said could help his riding when the budget was announced.

“For years, New Democrats have been calling on the federal government to establish a national aerial firefighting fleet because Canadians are living through longer, hotter, and more destructive wildfire seasons driven by climate change,” Johns said in a news release. “With another dangerous wildfire season already underway, leasing aircraft is an important step, but Canada also needs a long-term strategy that builds permanent domestic capacity.”

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