Question Period Note: Achieving Canada’s Marine Conservation Objectives

• Canada currently protects 15.54 per cent of its ocean to support strong and vibrant coastal communities for future generations.
• The Government of Canada has committed more than $1 billion through Budgets 2021 and 2024 to manage existing sites and protect new sites toward advancing protection of 25 per cent of Canada’s ocean by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030. A further $800 million has been committed for terrestrial and marine conservation initiatives led by Indigenous Peoples through the Project Financing for Permanence initiatives.
• These historic investments will support the establishment of conservation areas through partnership and shared work with communities.

BACKGROUND
• On July 22, 2021, the Government of Canada announced a historic investment in marine conservation, providing $976.8 million in funding over five years to manage existing sites and advance the Government of Canada’s commitment of protecting 25 per cent of Canada’s ocean by 2025.
• Canada currently conserves 15.54 per cent of marine and coastal areas, including 14 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) established by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) under the Oceans Act and 60 marine refuges.
• Canada's newest MPA, the Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxwiqak – Tsig̱is Marine Protected Area (TḥT MPA), was designated on June 19, 2024. The ThT MPA covers 133,017 km2 and is located on average 150 km off the coast of Vancouver Island in BC. The MPA protects vulnerable, unique, and productive hydrothermal vents and seamounts.
• February 2023, at the 5th International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5), Canada released key areas it is exploring in support of the 2025 target.
• At IMPAC5, new details on activities subject to the 2019 MPA Protection Standard were announced. The Government plans to apply the standard to most new federal MPAs, by prohibiting: oil and gas exploration, development, and production; mineral exploration and exploitation; disposal at sea of waste and other matter; dumping of fill; deposit of deleterious drugs and pesticides; and bottom-trawl gear. Transport Canada is leading regulatory proposals to enhance restrictions on certain vessel discharges in MPAs.
• In December 2022, DFO released the Government’s Guidance for recognizing marine Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), which aligns with the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) voluntary guidance and implements Canada’s 2019 OECM Protection Standard.
• Also in December 2022, member nations to the CBD, meeting in Montreal, agreed on a historic framework to safeguard nature and halt and reverse biodiversity loss. This framework aligns with Canada’s main goals of protecting 30 per cent of lands and waters by 2030, respecting the rights of Indigenous peoples, and addressing key drivers of biodiversity loss, such as pollution and overexploitation of nature.
• At the CBD meeting in December 2022, the Prime Minister announced $800 million starting in 2023-24, to support up to four Indigenous-led conservation initiatives: This investment brings together Indigenous organizations, governments, and the philanthropic community to identify shared goals for protecting nature and ultimately halting biodiversity loss. The Government recognizes the Indigenous leadership and the work of philanthropic organizations in f this important work.
• Project Financing for Permanence agreements will support the establishment and management of protected areas through an innovative funding model, which is based on partnership, through four initiatives in British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Ontario. On June 25, 2024, the Government of Canada, the Province of British Columbia, and 17 First Nations announced the signing and launch of the Great Bear Sea Project Finance for Permanence initiative.
• Budget 2024 announced that the Government is establishing the new Central Coast National Marine Conservation Area Reserve in British Columbia, led by Parks Canada, and proposes to provide $109.6 million over 11 years, starting in 2025-26, with $57.9 million in remaining amortization, and $10.7 million per year ongoing, for its creation and operation. This area will contribute 0.119 per cent to our marine conservation targets.
 

If pressed - fishing industry concerns over displaced livelihoods
• The establishment of marine protected and conserved areas are integral to Canada’s efforts to protect the ocean, its species, and habitats. These areas may also support recovery of fish stocks and have positive impacts on fisheries over time.
• Marine protected and conserved areas contribute to the economic and socio-cultural well-being of coastal communities, including supporting Indigenous harvest of marine resources that are consistent with the areas’ conservation objectives.

If pressed - the site establishment process
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada works closely and collaboratively with our federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners through the marine protected area establishment process. We also consult extensively with a wide range of stakeholders, including industry.
• Science, socio-economic information, Indigenous knowledge, and local perspectives are integral to the identification, design, and ongoing management of marine protected areas.