The Commons’ transport committee will be meeting sometime this summer over the BC Ferries decision to buy new electric ferries from China and not Canada, never mind that no Canadian company bid on the project (likely because the major shipyards are already full-up on the naval and Coast Guard orders that will keep them occupied for years to come, which was the whole point of the National Shipbuilding Strategy). Of course, because this decision is actually in provincial jurisdiction, as transport minister Chrystia Freeland said time and again in Question Period before the House rose for the summer, the Conservatives on the committee needed to find a different angle of attack.

Enter the Canada Infrastructure Bank. It provided a loan to BC Ferries before the deal was signed, that covers both a portion of the capital costs, as well as electrification infrastructure for the ships themselves. Never mind that the Bank operates at arm’s length from government—the fact that it still reports to Parliament via a minister, Gregor Robertson in this case, means that Robertson and Freeland are going to be summoned to explain themselves, even though they have no hand in these decisions, no should they. The federal funds that go to BC Ferries is for operations and not capital costs, btu the Conservatives seemed to think that this should somehow be weaponised as well. (Oh, and BC premier David Eby said that he wants the committee to look at how unfairly the federal funding is allocated between BC and the Atlantic provinces, never mind that the Atlantic ferries are mostly interprovincial, which makes them a federal responsibility as opposed to BC’s, which is solely within the province’s jurisdiction).

So, what exactly do we expect to happen? I can pretty much guarantee that every party, the Liberals included, will spend the meetings expressing their dismay at BC Ferries’ decision, even though no Canadian firm bid on this contract. The ministers will express dismay, the MPs on the committee will all preen for the cameras, each expressing their dismay and sometimes outrage that these jobs are going to China and not Canada (never mind that no Canadian firm bid on this contract). It will be one big circle-jerk of dismay, while the CEO of BC Ferries will probably appear to say that the Infrastructure Bank loan is a loan that needs to be repaid, and that no Canadian firms bid on this contract. And everything will be done in service of clips for social media, because that’s all Parliament is any more.

Ukraine Dispatch

There is at least one dead and over 71 wounded in drone attacks on Kharkiv, as well as a death following an attack on Odesa and more injuries following a drone strike on Zaporizhzhia. Many of those attacks continued to be aimed at military recruitment offices in order to disrupt intake of new fighters. Trump says he’ll start sending more weapons to Ukraine, but who knows how long it’ll last this time.

https://twitter.com/ukraine_world/status/1942141632620495134

Good reads:

• Trump started issuing tariff letters to countries like Japan and South Korea, assigning them 25 percent tariffs if they don’t let him shake them down.
• François-Philippe Champagne sent a letter to his colleagues to look for “ambitious savings” in their departments, with an unrealistic timeline and spending level.
• Anita Anand is off to Japan and Malaysia to talk trade and defence.
• The federal industry department is using digital asbestos tools to summarise parliamentary committee hears. I don’t see how that could possibly go wrong!
• Here’s an asylum claim by a trans American working through the system that could be a game-changer for the refugee system in Canada.
• Chinese surveillance company Hikvision is seeking a judicial review of the federal order for them to close up shop in Canada.
• There are new recommendations to help protect the southern resident killer whales on the West Coast, whose population is declining.
• The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says the premiers are overselling the benefits of taking down internal trade barriers.
• There are concerns that a Conservative Party regional organiser has been monkeying with riding association votes, applying rules unfairly to board slates.
• Doug Ford went to Calgary to sign an MOU with Danielle Smith about exploring national energy corridors, and dumb ideas like sending a pipeline to James Bay.
• The BC Conservatives are facing an existential dilemma as to their future—be a big-tent party to grow, or satisfy the hardcore base like they were promised?
• Jennifer Robson is boggled by Carney’s demands for a massive expenditure review before the end of summer.
• Mel Woods gives a sense of the dynamics of the riding that Poilievre has parachuted himself into for the by-election.

Odds and ends:

It's @clareblackwood.bsky.social to respond to Poilievre hiding in his car from Mark Carney at Stampede.

— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-07-07T22:56:17.309Z

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