Letter: Islands Trust Support for Motion M-35

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Bowen Denman Hornby Gabriola Galiano Gambier Lasqueti Mayne North Pender Salt Spring Saturna South Pender Thetis
200 – 1627 Fort Street, Victoria BC V8R 1H8
Telephone (250) 405 - 5151 Fax (250) 405 - 5155
Toll Free via Enquiry BC in Vancouver (604) 660 - 2421
Elsewhere in BC 1.800.663.7867
Email information@islandstrust.bc.ca
Web www.islandstrust.bc.ca
September 2 3 , 2026 File No.: 11 - 5595 - 30 - BC Ferries - 10
Via email: mark.carney@parl.gc.ca ; Steven.MacKinnon@parl.gc.ca ; francois -
philippe.champagne@parl.gc.ca
The Right Honourable Mark Carney
Prime Minister of Canada
The Honourable Steve MacKinnon
Minister of Transport
The Honourable François - Philippe Champagne
Minister of Finance and National Revenue
Dear Prime Minister and Ministers:
Re: Support for Motion M - 35 – Fair and Sustainable Federal Operational Funding for BC Ferrie s
I am writing on behalf of Islands Trust Council to express our support for Motion M - 35 and to urge
the Government of Canada to modernize its approach to federal ferry funding and establish fair,
stable, long - term operational funding for BC Ferries.
For communities throughout the Islands Trust Area, ferry services are not simply a transportation
option. They are essential connection s to employment, health care, education, essential goods
and services, family and community networks, and economic opportunities. Reliable and
affordable ferry service is fundamental to the resilience of island communities and to the local
businesses and ec onomies that depend upon them.
Islands Trust is a special - purpose government representing over 30,000 residents and
approximately 10,000 non - resident property owners within the Islands Trust Area. Its legislated
mandate is to preserve and protect the Islands Trust Area and its unique amenities and
environment for the benefit of present and future generations . We recognize that healthy
ecosystems , resilient communities and sustainable economies are interdependent, and that
reliable transportation is an important part of community resilien ce.
The circumstances facing coastal British Columbia have changes substantially since the federal
funding arrangements were established. Motion M - 35 notes that BC Ferries received approximately
…/2
Prime Minister Carney , Minister MacKinnon , and Minister Champagne
September 2 3 , 2026
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Bowen Denman Hornby Gabriola Galiano Gambier Lasqueti Mayne North Pender Salt Spring Saturna South Pender Thetis
$1.63 in federal operational support per passenger in 2024 - 25, compared with approximately $291
per passenger for federally supported East Coast ferry systems. The motion also recognizes that
existing federal funding arrangements are based on formulas and constitutional arrangements
established decades ago, when Vancouver Island and the i slands in the Trust Area had roughly half
their current population s .
This disparity is particularly significant for island communities, where residents, businesses and
visitors have no practica

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