Question Period Note: Canada’s leadership in ocean governance

What is Canada doing internationally to advance responsible ocean governance and marine?

• Canada champions responsible oceans governance and the protection of our oceans. We are proud of our recent key accomplishments.
• Canada was pivotal in encouraging the global community to adopt an ambitious Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the commitment to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030.
• Canada was a leader in the successful conclusion of the historic high seas treaty, which is integral to achieving global marine conservation.

• The world’s oceans are facing increasing impacts from climate change, species decline and loss, ecosystem degradation and loss, aquatic invasive species, and harmful effects from waste and other pollutants. Canada collaborates nationally with federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners, and with other maritime nations in international fora to conserve marine ecosystem functions and protect the biodiversity of our oceans.
• Canada is a member of seven regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), where Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) works to secure Canada’s access to fish stocks managed by these organizations and to ensure strong and effective management measures, based on the best available science, are adopted. Overall Canada’s objective is to prevent overfishing and other activities that could undermine the long-term sustainability of those internationally managed species.
• In July of 2020, Canada joined the Global Ocean Alliance (GOA), a coalition of countries led by the United Kingdom that committed to the ambitious global target to protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s oceans by 2030 through the establishment and effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs). Including Canada, to date, 75 countries have now joined the Alliance. Membership in this alliance is a key part of Canada’s advocacy for international action to increase conservation and protection of the world’s oceans by 2030. In addition to supporting the implementation of the 30by30 target, the Alliance aims to maintain a spotlight on ocean issues within the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international fora.
• The Prime Minister is a member of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, where Canada works with international partners to set an ambitious agenda on protection and sustainable use of our oceans. On December 2, 2020, the Prime Minister endorsed the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy’s Transformations for a Sustainable Ocean Economy: A Vision for Protection, Production and Prosperity, which included support for a global target to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030. This endorsement affirms the Government of Canada’s support towards sustainably managing 100 per cent of Canada’s ocean area by 2025. Canada is currently developing its Blue Economy Strategy to fulfill this commitment.
• On June 9, 2022, Canada and Chile co-sponsored the launch of the Americas for the Protection of the Ocean Declaration at the Summit of the Americas. The Declaration established a regional coalition for collaboration, cooperation and coordination of marine protected areas and other marine conservation measures in the Pacific. This regional collaboration instrument provides an opportunity for Canada to work with Chile and other partners in the region (the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) to advance the global 30by30 target. Canada is collaborating with Chile to finalize the development of the workplan and to guide he implementation of the Declaration’s objectives.
• The 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that took place in Montreal, December 7-19, 2022, successfully adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) including four goals and 23 new targets, replacing the Aichi targets and setting out a new plan to transform society’s relationship with biodiversity and ensure the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature is fulfilled. COP15 in Montreal provided a unique opportunity to showcase Canada’s commitment to an ambitious GBF and biodiversity targets, in alignment with its domestic nature conservation and recovery commitments, such as the target to conserve 30 per cent of its land and waters by 2030.
• Following CBD COP15, Canada successfully co-hosted the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) with host First Nations – Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh – as well as, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and the Province of British Columbia from February 3 to 9, 2023. Throughout IMPAC5, the Government of Canada and partners announced several important initiatives, including the unveiling of Canada’s proposed pathway to 2025 (17 marine areas) being considered for the path towards conserving 25 per cent of our oceans by 2025. IMPAC5 culminated with the Leadership Forum which convened ministers and senior officials of national and sub-national governments and international organizations, Indigenous leaders, young professionals, civil society, philanthropic foundations, academia, and industry who share Canada’s ambition for ocean conservation. IMPAC5 and the Leadership Forum provided an opportunity for Canada to showcase its journey to achieve the 10 per cent Aichi target for marine conservation and share the lessons learned with countries striving to increase their level of ocean protection.
• Canada actively participated in the negotiations of a new legally-binding treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), which concluded on March 4th, 2023. The treaty establishes the governance structure and management mechanisms to implement the environmental and conservation objectives of UNCLOS through area-based conservation and management, environmental impact assessments, and capacity-building. The treaty provisions respect the competence of the global and regional frameworks and instruments such as RFMOs and aim to strengthen cooperation among them, including via sharing scientific information and technical expertise. Following the legal technical review of the final text, delegations will reconvene in New York for a half-day to formally adopt the treaty in its six official languages (likely in June 2023 around the same time as the 33rd Meeting of States Parties to UNCLOS). Following the adoption, the treaty will be open for signature. Sixty ratifications will be required before the treaty comes into force. The BBNJ treaty will be integral to achieving global marine conservation goals while complementing Canada’s domestic conservation action.
• Canada is a member of the International Seabed Authority Council and is actively engaged in the negotiations on seabed mineral exploitation regulations to ensure effective protection of the marine environment. At IMPAC5 on February 8, 2023, Canada reiterated its position on domestic seabed mining, stating that Canada does not current have a domestic legal framework that would permit seabed mining and will not authorize seabed mining in areas under our jurisdiction in the absence of a rigorous regulatory regime.
• As part of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canada will lead the Shared Ocean Fund ($84.3M over 5 years), which will increase maritime cooperation and create a healthy marine environment in the Indo-Pacific while supporting measures against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. This new initiative will help support ocean management, reinforce a healthy marine environment in the Indo-Pacific region through Canadian government support for a range of enhanced measures against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
• After more than 20 years of negotiations, the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was adopted at the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) on June 17, 2022. The agreement partially addresses the requirements of United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.6 that aims to address harmful fisheries subsidies, such as those contributing to IUU fishing. Although further negotiations are required to achieve all aspects of UN SDG 14.6, this agreement is a major step forward for ocean sustainability as it targets harmful subsidies that contribute to the unsustainable harvesting of global fish stocks. Canada was a key participant throughout these negotiations and was able to advance exclusively Canadian policies within the agreed-upon text (i.e., subsidy prohibitions in unregulated areas and for unregulated species on the high seas). Canada is currently undergoing domestic ratification processes related to the agreement.

If pressed
• Canada was a key player in the successful negotiations to address harmful fisheries subsidies at the World Trade Organization in 2022. We are working to ratify this agreement as soon as feasible.
• Further, under the Indo-Pacific Strategy, Canada will implement the Shared Oceans Fund ($84.3 million over five years) to promote a healthy marine environment in the Indo-Pacific region while supporting action against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.