Wake-up Politicians - Canada may kill our ship building sector before we launch...
Our important but still relatively small ship building sector may be in for a major setback if Canadian ship owners get their way.
Canada is currently in free trade talks with some European Nations and South Korea - proposals on the table include the elimination of the 25% tariff places on foreign vessels sold into our market.
Canadian flagged ship-owners are claiming that Canadian shipyards can't deliver the vessels they need - and even with the 25% tariff the foreign built vessels are still cheaper.
First - Canada's ship building policy has not been the greatest and in Newfoundland and Labrador anything we do have - has failed miserably. We get very little in the way of federal contracts - in fact it's hard to keep our own work here. For Marystown and other potentials in the province would be severely if not irreparably harmed if this tariff was removed.
We are just now thinking ships - and being where we are - geographically - the right investments could make this sector boom in the future.
If the Tories scrap the tariff for Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein - we will not have the opportunity to start let alone survive.
The Canadian Shipowners Association is willing to let the 25% remain on refit on foreign turf but they want the building out.
I wonder - with so much future potential at stake - are we "all over this". The bigger more established yards in Canada may survive the hit - Newfoundland and Labrador will be blown out of the water before we even launch.
Although military contracts are not included in the proposal - all civilian work would be.
1 comment:
I want to congratulate Mayor Sam Synyard of Marystown for bringing to our attention the naval contract that Marystown is on the short list with, along with Vancouver. We must join voices with Mayor Sam Synyard to see that Marystown is successful in winning that contract.
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