NANOOSE BAY — Prime Minister Mark Carney continued his visit to British Columbia on Monday as he toured the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges facility on Vancouver Island.
Wearing a navy blue suit, Carney visited the facility near Nanoose Bay, about 30 kilometres north of Nanaimo, for about 2 1/2 hours, during which he toured the Royal Canadian Navy vessel Sikanni.
He was accompanied by Navy Commander Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee and Commanding Officer Craig Piccolo from the testing facility. They also joined Carney on a tour of the facility’s Range Operation Centre.
“Fire one,” he mused as he peered through binoculars and pretended to fire a torpedo, drawing laughter from those present.
Carney marvelled at the strength of binoculars and joked at what he could see.
“I see a ferry,” he said, quickly adding, “Not Chinese-made.”
Carney’s comment is in reference to BC Ferries, the private company owned by the provincial government that recently bought four ferries from a Chinese shipyard.
While the company has said the shipyard offered the best deal, it has drawn criticism from Premier David Eby and federal Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Carney left the facility by car, driving past a group of demonstrators with the Freedom From War Coalition. They held up Palestinian flags and signs calling on Canada to impose an arms embargo on Israel.
Carney did not take questions from media and did not meet with people like Brenton Thompson and Bill MacArthur, who were hoping to catch a glimpse of him.
“That was underwhelming,” Thompson said.
The tour marked a continuation of his visit to British Columbia.
On Sunday, Carney met with Eby as well as officials from the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. Carney and Eby discussed U.S. tariffs and a renewed animosity in the long-running softwood lumber dispute.
After the meetings, Carney made a surprise appearance at Vancouver’s Pride Parade, marching for about a kilometre along the route beginning outside B.C. Place Stadium.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 4, 2025.
Wolfgang Depner, The Canadian Press
