EDITORIAL: China ferry deal won’t hold water

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The decision by a federal Crown corporation to allow a new, 1,000-passenger ferry to be built largely in China is galling to any Canadian who supports justice, freedom and human rights.

As the Globe and Mail reported this week, Marine Atlantic Inc. awarded a $100-million, five-year contract to Sweden’s Stena North Sea Limited, which subcontracted construction of the vessel to a state-owned Chinese company.

This is unbelievable in its stupidity. China has held two Canadians, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, hostage for almost 1,000 days. How any government agency could consider doing business with a rogue government that so openly defies international laws and simple human decency is beyond belief.

Marine Atlantic reports to Parliament through Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. His spokesperson said he had no part in awarding the contract. That’s not the point. He oversees this agency and should have made it clear to his appointed board members that our government will not give lucrative plums like this one to a country that’s hostile to Canada.

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China’s record on human rights is abysmal. Its treatment of its Uyghur population has been described as genocide. It’s estimated more than a million Muslims are interned in camps. Will this ferry be built with slave labour?

There are Canadian shipbuilders who are perfectly capable of building most of the ferry. Why were they overlooked? This contract could have provided a huge boost to employment in this country.

Asked about the contract, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was “concerned” about it and said the awarding of federal contracts should be aligned with “our values.”

Sadly, we have little confidence in Trudeau’s “values.” Judging from his track record, they’re questionable — as we saw with the SNC-Lavalin scandal, the awarding of an almost $1-billion, sole-sourced contract to the We Charity and his holiday on the Aga Khan’s island. He’s had three ethics probes in six years in office. His “values” aren’t the best way to judge shipbuilding deals.

The Tories said they’ll scrap the deal.

That would be the safe route. We must make it clear to China: We do not do business with those who use Canadian citizens as political pawns.