The Canada Infrastructure Bank has provided a $1 billion low-interest loan to BC Ferries for the purchase of four new hybrid battery-electric vessels from China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards, a Chinese state-owned shipyard. This financing arrangement has drawn criticism amid ongoing trade tensions between Canada and China, with concerns raised about the outsourcing of Canadian steel, aluminum, and shipbuilding jobs to a foreign state-owned enterprise. The procurement process, which lasted five years, did not include any Canadian bids. Several members of the Canadian Conservative Party and other critics have called for a parliamentary investigation into the loan, arguing it offers no economic benefit to Canada and undermines domestic jobs. The House of Commons Transportation Committee has voted to launch an inquiry into the federal loan. Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland publicly criticized the purchase of Chinese-made ships by BC Ferries but did not disclose that her government’s infrastructure bank was financing the deal. British Columbia Premier David Eby expressed dissatisfaction with the contract but did not intervene in the procurement process. The controversy has sparked calls from opposition MPs for the Liberal government to cancel the loan and prioritize Canadian industry and workers.