M-35 Federal operational support for BC Ferries

That:

(a) the House recognize that,

(i) ferries are essential marine highways connecting coastal communities, workers, families, businesses, and supply chains to the rest of Canada,

(ii) Vancouver Island is approaching one million residents and BC Ferries carries more than 22 million passengers annually,

(iii) according to analysis prepared by the Library of Parliament, BC Ferries received approximately $1.63 in federal operational support per passenger in 2024-25, compared to approximately $291 per passenger for federally supported East Coast ferry systems,

(iv) Canadians in Atlantic Canada and British Columbia both deserve strong federal ferry support because these services are essential national transportation infrastructure,

(v) current federal ferry funding agreements rely on outdated constitutional arrangements and formulas created decades ago, when Vancouver Island had roughly half its current population,

(vi) it is no longer sustainable to operate one of the world’s largest ferry systems without stable, long-term federal operational support; and

(b) in the opinion of the House, the government should,

(i) immediately take steps to modernize federal ferry funding policies and provide fair, stable, long-term federal operational support for BC Ferries as essential national transportation infrastructure,

(ii) report to Parliament on its progress toward achieving these objectives.