MEDIA RELEASE
For immediate release November 18, 2025
84 per cent of British Columbians want a plan to keep shipbuilding jobs in B.C.
NANAIMO — A new poll shows overwhelming public support for rebuilding B.C.’s shipbuilding industry.
The poll, conducted by Leger and commissioned by the Build Them Here Shipbuilding Coalition, shows eighty-four per cent of British Columbians want the provincial government to develop a plan to keep shipbuilding work and expertise in the province.
Sixty-one per cent say ferries should be built in B.C. even if it costs more, compared to only 23 per cent who prefer the cheapest option offshore. Eighty-one per cent want more information on the process that led BC Ferries to outsource four new ferries to China.
“British Columbians get it. Building ships here means good jobs for workers and lasting benefits for communities,” said Eric McNeely, president of the BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union (BCFMWU). “You can’t build an industry by outsourcing it.”
“This research confirms what workers have been saying all along,” said Brynn Bourke, Executive Director, BC Building Trades (BCBT). “Investing in B.C. shipyards builds more than ferries, it builds futures.”
The results come from an online survey conducted November 7 to 9. The poll included 1,035 adults across B.C. and was weighted to reflect the province’s population by age, gender, region, education and household makeup. While online surveys don’t have a traditional margin of error, a random sample of this size would have a margin of about ±3%, 19 times out of 20.
The Build Them Here Shipbuilding Coalition comprises unions representing shipyard workers, tradespeople and ferry workers, including: BCBT, BCFMWU, Marine & Shipbuilders Local 506, Heat & Frost Insulators Local 118, IAM 250, IBEW Locals 213 and 230, Ironworkers Shop Local 712, MoveUP, Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 280, Shipyard General Workers Federation, UA Local 170, Unifor, United Steelworkers (USW) and USW District 3.
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MEDIA CONTACT Rachel Garrick | Communications Officer | BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union | 604-561-3703 | [email protected]
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