Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Jimenez, for joining our committee today. I appreciate being able to fill in to ask some questions today on behalf of the communities in my riding, especially Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast, which depend on ferries on a daily basis for commuting to health care appointments and to see families. This is especially so in the summer, when tourism is so important.
These communities are constantly impacted by a fleet of ferries that are, in many cases, a decade or more beyond their useful lives, which leads to frustration when these ferries break down. Unfortunately, we're seeing that more and more, so while it's always important that we buy Canadian, especially right now when our industries are under threat, the need for the renewal of the ferries in this fleet is an urgent imperative for communities in my riding.
My first question is this: Why didn't the $1-billion contract from the Canada Infrastructure Bank go to a Canadian shipyard?