Concerns over a federal loan being used to buy ferries for British Columbia from a Chinese company are "bizarre" given the amount of money Ottawa has spent on ferries in Eastern Canada, including from the same shipyard, Premier David Eby said.

Eby, who was in Ottawa for a series of meetings, told reporters on Thursday that he met with newly appointed Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon and the BC Ferries deal was discussed.

The premier was asked about a report in The Globe and Mail that Transport Canada had weeks of warning before BC Ferries announced in June that it was buying four ships from state-owned China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyards.

Then-transport minister Chrystia Freeland criticized the deal after it became public, saying she was "dismayed" by BC Ferries' decision.

The

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