Question Period Note: Achieving Canada’s Marine Conservation Objectives

• Our government is committed to both conservation and sustainable economic development – and we are making decisions that protect both nature and Canada’s future prosperity.
• Since 2021, Canada has invested approximately $1 billion to establish and manage marine protected and conserved areas, plus another $400 million to support Indigenous leadership in marine conservation through the Great Bear Sea and SINAA Project Finance for Permanence.
• Marine protected areas are an investment in Canada’s natural capital. This is why my department also reviews proposals for major projects near marine protected and conserved areas so that development is sustainable and oceans stay healthy.

• Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is working collaboratively with Parks Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), and other federal departments to achieve the marine conservation target (MCT) of conserving 30 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2030. Canada has made significant progress, moving from less than one per cent of marine and coastal areas conserved in 2015 to 15.55 per cent today—an area larger than France and the UK combined.
• The approach continues to be guided by three foundational principles: science-based decision making; transparency that offers meaningful opportunities for input from site identification to establishment; and support for reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples of Canada.
• DFO has established 14 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) under the Oceans Act and recognized 61 marine refuges under the Fisheries Act as Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures.
• In recent years, several new protected and conserved areas have been established, including:
o In March 2025, three new marine refuges, covering 466 km2, were recognized: G̱aw Ḵáahlii (Masset Inlet), X̲aana K̲aahlii (Skidegate Inlet), and Banks Island.
o In 2023, DFO worked collaboratively with the Mamalilikulla First Nation to recognize the Gwaxdlala/Nalaxdlala (Lull Bay and Hoeya Sound) marine refuge and support this as an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area.
o The Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxwiqak – Tsig̱is MPA was designated on June 19, 2024, to protect biodiverse hydrothermal vents and seamounts in the Pacific, contributing 2.3 per cent to the marine conservation target.
o Additional areas are advancing across Canada’s three oceans.
• New partnerships have been forged with Indigenous Peoples, and innovative financing opportunities have been leveraged to support Indigenous-led conservation and community well-being initiatives. For example, in February 2025, the Government of Canada, the Qikiqtani Inuit Association, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the Aajuraq Conservation Fund Society announced the signing of the SINAA Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) Agreement. In June 2024, Canada, British Columbia (BC), and 17 First Nations announced the signing of the Great Bear Sea PFP Agreement. The conservation plans associated with these agreements propose new protected and conserved areas that could contribute up to an additional 3.68 and 0.3 per cent, respectively, towards our MCT.
• Canada is recognized worldwide for its excellence in establishing and managing protected and conserved areas so they are effective in achieving their conservation objectives and providing biodiversity outcomes. For example, Canada implements an MPA Protection Standard that is designed to provide a baseline protection in most new federal MPAs. Specifically, through the MPA Protection Standard the Government of Canada seeks to prohibit: 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 in these areas.
• The fishing industry is concerned about the cumulative socioeconomic impacts of conservation initiatives. They have been particularly vocal in opposition of Parks Canada’s proposed South Coast Fjords National Marine Conservation Area initiative in Newfoundland and Labrador, and sites advancing in BC’s Northern Shelf Bioregion. The Department consults extensively with partners and stakeholders, including marine industries, throughout the site establishment process to mitigate socioeconomic impacts where possible.
• On November 6, 2025, the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development tabled the 2025 Fall performance audit reports in the House of Commons, including two audits involving DFO.
o The Establishing Marine Protected and Conserved Areas report noted the good progress made on marine conservation, but that Canada was not on track to meet its target to conserve 25 per cent of marine and coastal areas by 2025. It called for an updated federal collaborative framework, clarity on MPA Protection Standard implementation, and improved access to public data on protected and conserved areas.
o The Federal-Indigenous Cooperatively Managed Protected Areas report recognized strong collaboration between Parks Canada, DFO, and ECCC, and with Indigenous partners in advancing reconciliation through co-management of protected areas. However, it highlighted risks to this progress without sustained funding and called on DFO to strengthen Indigenous engagement, particularly in issue resolution and recruitment for key DFO positions involved with cooperative management boards.

If pressed - fishing industry concerns over displaced livelihoods
• Marine protected and conserved areas help keep oceans healthy while supporting sustainable livelihoods.
• My department knows that fishing is vital to coastal communities and Canada’s economy. That’s why we work with industry and fishers to reduce socioeconomic impacts of marine protected areas, and make sure marine protection works for both the environment and the economy.
• Industry leadership was essential to Canada reaching its 10 per cent ocean protection goal in 2020, and we will keep working together to meet our 2030 target.
If pressed - the site establishment process
• My department works closely with all levels of government and Indigenous Peoples to establish marine protected and conserved areas.
• Consultations with stakeholders, including industry and communities, help us understand and reduce socioeconomic impacts.
• Science, socioeconomic information, Indigenous Knowledge, and local input guide how we design and manage marine protected and conserved areas.