Anyone living east of the Rockies shouldn’t be surprised that a West Coast shipyard captured one of Ottawa’s two mega-contracts to build ships.

Even though North Vancouver-based Seaspan Marine Corp. was awarded the smaller package — still a healthy $8 billion contract to construct seven non-combat vessels — the firm had come reasonably close in points to taking the larger, $25-billion contract for combat ships won by Irving Shipbuilding Inc. in Halifax.

West Coast shipbuilding has a rich heritage, and there was a time when shipbuilding was one of the region’s most vibrant industries. Seaspan’s Vancouver Shipyards was incorporated in 1902. It may also surprise that more than 60% of the 402 steel ships (minesweepers, corvettes, etc.) constructed in Canada during the Second World War were built on the West Coast by a workforce that  peaked at 24,000 people.

This boom continued well into peacetime, with the government-owned British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. building more than 40 vessels from 1960 to 1999, including the two giant, Spirit-class vessels still in service between the mainland and Vancouver Island. Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers Pierre Radisson and Henry Larsen also were built in Greater Vancouver shipyards.

But West Coast shipbuilding subsequently suffered two near-death blows, thanks to separate B.C. governments. First, the New Democratic Party under former premier Glen Clark ignored warnings from the shipbuilding industry and pushed ahead in 1999 with three B.C.-designed high-speed aluminum catamaran ferries. These so-called “Fast-Cats” were eventually sold for scrap due to technical and design problems.

The second blow was delivered by former Liberal premier Gordon Campbell, whose government in 2003 turned BC Ferries into a quasi-private-sector corporation with no direct accountability to taxpayers. This gave BC Ferries a free hand in awarding contracts for three new full-size ships. Consequently, a German shipyard beat out domestic shipbuilders, as only bottom-line costs were considered and little weight was given to additional economic spinoffs from building locally.

Rather than supporting B.C. shipbuilding, the Liberals and BC Ferries effectively put this sector underwater. Subsequently, many skilled B.C. tradespeople were lured to Alberta’s lucrative oilsands.

Now, these tradespeople must be lured back. And many, many more must be trained to meet the new demand from the new, lucrative federal contract, which, understandably, is widely viewed as a huge shot in the arm. Up to 4,000 direct and indirect long-term jobs for steel fabricators, welders, machinists, electricians and joiners will be created.

The expertise gained will stand West Coast shipyards and support industries in good stead to win global shipbuilding contracts. Even BC Ferries is expected to order seven or eight new vessels in the coming decade. Heaven help politicians of any stripe who dare to send BC Ferries’ shipbuilding overseas again. Politically, they’ll be walking the plank.  IE