An MP from this province says the federal government is doing just the opposite of what was expected of it regarding ferry rates on the Cabot Strait.

There will be another round of fare increases come April 1 even though many who depend on the service are hurting financially because of the pandemic.

As of April, commercial fares on the Gulf run go up by two per cent, passenger and commercial fares on the Argentia-North Sydney route will be an extra 2.5 per cent, and the drop trailer management fee increases by 3.4 per cent on both sides.

St. John’s East MP Jack Harris says the higher fees will impact every element of consumerism in this province. He says the Prime Minister in 2015 called the cost recovery formula used to set ferry rates unreasonable.

Harris says fees have been going up ever since and he’s calling on the PM to reverse the most recent rate increases.