Thank you, Chair. I'll be very brief in my opening remarks. I'll leave enough time for questions.
I'd like to start by acknowledging that we're meeting on the traditional, unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
Thank you, Mr. Chair and committee members, for inviting me to appear before you today.
Many British Columbians, especially in coastal communities, rely on ferries as modes of transportation for connection to the mainland. The decision by BC Ferries last year to procure its new ferries offshore was a decision made by the province after conducting its own due diligence to accommodate growing demand and need for service.
The committee is understandably concerned about the implications of this deal for national security. While Public Safety Canada has authority to conduct security reviews of foreign direct investments under the Investment Canada Act, it does not review procurement decisions at the provincial level, such as this one. Therefore, we would not have had the authority to conduct a national security review in this case. Only after outreach from Transport Canada did Public Safety officials engage with BC Ferries. BC Ferries had already made the procurement decision.
Our government is currently undertaking a number of initiatives to strengthen our economic and national security and sovereignty in the face of ever‑changing threats.
We continually examine how to protect and promote Canada's economic security. This includes expanding both domestic and international collaboration, as well as identifying key areas of engagement and focus. We see maintaining and bolstering economic security as crucial to our growth and sovereignty. This requires a whole-of-government approach across all levels of government, industry, indigenous communities and partners, academia and international allies.
Mr. Chair, once again, thank you for the invitation to appear at this committee. I welcome your questions and comments.