NDP leader John Horgan went to bat for shipbuilding in B.C. at a campaign stop Friday at North Vancouver’s Seaspan Shipyards, calling on the federal government to return a contract to Seaspan to build a polar icebreaker, while promising an NDP government would introduce a provincial shipbuilding strategy to ensure B.C. gets more of its share of that work.
Horgan said he has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to stress the importance of the icebreaker, the CCGS John G. Diefenbaker, to the province’s growing shipbuilding industry.
“Here in B.C., we wanted to build a polar icebreaker 30 years ago,” he said. “We need to make sure we land that contract so people here can continue working and this business can continue to expand.”
The $1.3-billion icebreaker, to replace the aging CCGS Louis S. St-Laurent, had been awarded to Seaspan in 2011, but was taken back by Ottawa last year.
Earlier this year, Seaspan teamed up with a Newfoundland-based marine company to try and win back the contract.
Horgan called the icebreaker critical to B.C.’s industry.
“I believe if we are going to have a national shipbuilding strategy, it has to focus on B.C., it has to make sure our coastal communities can benefit from the work being done at a national level,” he said.
To that end, Horgan announced the B.C. shipbuilding strategy, which would involve working with the federal government and shipyards to identify where investment in infrastructure upgrades are needed at B.C. shipyards such as Seaspan and Point Hope in Victoria, so they can bid on national and international shipbuilding programs, and eventually have vessels that are used in B.C. being made and maintained in B.C.
Horgan said the government could tap into both the recently announced Recovery Investment Fund and the Strategic Investment Fund.
Ian Maxwell, president of the Ralmax Group, which owns Point Hope Shipyard, said help in funding infrastructure such as the graving dock they intend to build to expand their ship-repair business is more than welcome.
Maxwell said plans for the $90-million dock are currently idle, even though all permits and permissions are in place, as they can’t book the work to make it economically viable.
He said someone would need to take between 30 and 40 per cent of their dock capacity for five to eight years to make it a go, which is currently impossible, as marine traffic from the U.S. is non-existent and there is only limited Canadian business.
“With the border closed, it narrows our available dance partners,” he said.
Amy MacLeod, vice-president of corporate affairs at Seaspan Shipyards, said a long-term strategy is key to ensuring the sustainability of the industry, noting Seaspan’s growth over the last nine years is the result of the national shipbuilding strategy.
She said investment from the province will be essential, as shipbuilding is competitive in Canada and the playing field is not level across the country.
“This kind of commitment is a sign of collaboration and investment that we feel is a positive step for Seaspan, its partners and the industry as a whole.”
aduffy@timescolonist.com
