VICTORIA – In the legislature this week, the B.C. Liberals refused to explain why B.C. Ferries is withholding its evacuation plans from the public, say New Democrats.

A freedom of information request for information about evacuation plans on B.C. Ferries came back with the majority of pages heavily censored.

“We are calling on the government to explain this heavy-handed censorship,” said New Democrat transportation and B.C. Ferries critic Claire Trevena. “How can it possibly serve the public interest to have evacuation plans only released on a need-to-know basis?”

The report contained evacuation plans for all the vessels in the fleet, some of which are nearly 50 years old, said Trevena. But nearly all information related to these plans was obscured before the report was released.

“When asked in the legislature why information critical to travellers on B.C. Ferries was being withheld, the Liberals had no answer. The government needs to do the right thing and make sure the full report is released,” said Trevena.

New Democrats have been a strong, principled opposition in the legislature, and will continue to fight for the critical services British Columbians depend on, and for the accountability they deserve.