Question Period Note: Ocean Protection Plan

What is Canada doing to protect our oceans?

• In response to increased maritime traffic, Budget 2022 provides an additional $2 billion over nine years to renew and expand the Oceans Protection Plan, which was launched by Canada in 2016 through a $1.5 billion investment.
• This additional investment will strengthen marine safety, protect and restore marine and coastal ecosystems, and create stronger partnerships with Indigenous and coastal communities.
• These measures will help grow the economy while protecting the environment, and ensure that all Canadians can have confidence in our marine safety system.

• Marine traffic continues to increase in support of Canada’s growing economy, and the Government is taking additional steps to strengthen marine safety, protect marine ecosystems, and create stronger partnerships with Indigenous and coastal communities.
• The renewal of the Oceans Protection Plan (OPP) was announced by the Prime Minister on July 19, 2022.
• Budget 2022 announced an additional $2 billion to protect Canada’s coasts and waterways during our economic recovery and beyond. This new funding is in addition to the $1.5 billion initially announced in 2016 and brings the total invested in support of the plan to $3.5 billion. The OPP is the largest investment ever made to protect Canada’s coasts and waterways, while also growing our economy.
• Critical new investments for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) in the renewal of OPP include $1.1 billion over nine years, starting in 2022-23, and $68 million ongoing.
• The renewed and expanded plan will help make further progress to:
• Enhance the protection and restoration of vulnerable marine ecosystems and wildlife;
• Improve the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of Canada’s marine supply chains and mitigate their impacts on the environment, including by advancing research on marine pollution, ecosystems, and wildlife;
• Better manage marine traffic navigation off our coasts and marine incidents of all types; and
• Advance partnerships and training opportunities for Indigenous and coastal communities to incorporate their expertise and experiences in various aspects of marine safety and ecosystem protection.
• The implementation of the OPP is a whole-of-government effort, with responsibilities shared across Transport Canada, DFO, CCG, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Natural Resources Canada, and Health Canada.
• Since the last appearance of DFO Senior Officials and Minister Murray before the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans to discuss 2022-23 Supplementary Estimates (B) on December 2, 2022, two important DFO announcements related to OPP Renewal were made:
• On February 6, 2023, Minister Murray announced $46.5 million in funding over five years to Ocean Networks Canada, an initiative of the University of Victoria, to enhance their world-class ocean monitoring system. Ocean Networks Canada’s research helps to provide real-time, open data to better understand our changing oceans.
• On December 17, 2022, Minister Murray announced an investment of $75 million over the next five years for the Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Fund to support projects that conserve and restore priority coastal and upstream aquatic areas.
• Under the first phase of OPP (2017-2022), DFO and the CCG had the following accomplishments:
• Improved access to high-quality, real-time or near real-time data on our marine environment.
• Funded oil spill research, especially on Canadian oil products, to better understand how oil behaves and breaks down in different marine conditions.
• Funded over 60 projects to restore coastal aquatic habitats through the Coastal Restoration Fund.
• Funded 154 projects as part of the Small Craft Harbours Abandoned and Wrecked Vessels Removal Program to help protect Canada’s marine environment and improve marine safety in Canada’s small craft harbours.
• Established 24/7 Regional Operations Centers in the Coast Guard’s Western, Atlantic and Central and Arctic regions to enhance marine awareness, environmental response and search and rescue capacity.
• Opened five new CCG search and rescue stations in Victoria, and Tahsis (British Columbia), and St. Anthony, Old Perlican and Twillingate (Newfoundland and Labrador).
• Increased the presence of CCG icebreakers in the North during the Arctic season.
• Provided more than $12 million in funding to over 40 Indigenous communities to buy search and rescue boats and equipment, improving their ability to participate in marine emergency response as members of the CCG Guard Auxiliary.
• Co-launched the Coastal Nations CCG Auxiliary, the first Indigenous led CCG Auxiliary organisation, who now have units in eight First Nations communities along the British Columbia coast.
• Since the launch of the OPP in 2016, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change have impacted our economy, our marine environment, and the resiliency of our supply chain.
• As risks associated with marine traffic and impacts to marine ecosystems evolve, further strengthening and expanding OPP implementation across the country is required to ensure Canada’s marine safety and environmental protection system is able to withstand disruption and to adapt to changes in the sector.

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