BC Ferries CEO Jimenez out after Conservative election win

VANCOUVER: Nicolas Jimenez is out as chief executive officer of BC Ferries, the company said Monday, two days after the B.C. Conservatives won a two-thirds majority in the provincial election.

A BC Ferries news release said the board of directors launched a “leadership transition” and appointed Brian Anderson, the company’s vice-president of strategy and planning, as interim CEO, effective immediately. The board has also started a “revitalization review” to address growing demands for safe, reliable service. The release said a search for a permanent successor will follow that review.

The Conservatives called last year for Jimenez to be fired after BC Ferries awarded a $1-billion contract to China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards, a Chinese state-owned company, to build four new vessels. The party also called for the removal of board chair Joy MacPhail, saying she and Jimenez showed “a complete failure of judgment” by pushing ahead with the contract during Canada’s trade dispute with China. The release did not say whether MacPhail’s position is under review.

Jimenez told the House of Commons transport committee last year that BC Ferries received six compliant bids to replace its four oldest ships, all from foreign countries. Two Canadian shipyards pre-qualified, he said, but neither formally submitted a proposal. He said the company chose the bid that offered the best combination of value, quality, delivery speed and customer protections. Jimenez was previously president and CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia.

Eric McNeely, provincial president of the BC Ferry and Marine Workers’ Union, said he saw signs last year that a review of the Chinese contract was under way. He said questions had emerged about why the ships were not built in B.C. or elsewhere in Canada and who is accountable for decisions at a company that receives so much public money.

McNeely said about 4,500 union members have been without a collective agreement since November 2025. He said new leadership could create a chance for labour peace this fall, in contrast with what he described as management giving itself increases while unionized workers went without.

The leadership change follows the B.C. election results on Oct. 24, which handed the Conservatives power. Earlier coverage from Canada News Media looked at the federal bank loan tied to the Chinese-built ships and the transport committee’s decision to study it. The new government’s plans are also a live issue in Ottawa, where Poilievre has asked Carney to scrap the north coast tanker ban.

This story is based on reporting by The Canadian Press, first published Oct. 26, 2026, and on the BC Ferries news release.

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