Ottawa, Ont. – CPAWS welcomes the recent appointment of a new Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard (DFO). We congratulate the new Minister on the promotion from his previous role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada.

CPAWS would also like to express its appreciation to outgoing Minister Dominic Leblanc for his dedication and commitment to improving the health of Canada’s ocean territory, and for moving many files forward during his tenure.

CPAWS has been working collaboratively with DFO on increasing both the quality and quantity of Canada’s ocean protection. “We look forward to continuing the momentum on increasing marine protected areas with a new Minister at the helm,” says Sabine Jessen, National Director of the Ocean Program. “The Minister brings a wealth of experience on environmental and conservation issues, and understands the importance of basing decisions on science, from his previous role, for example on species at risk files, and from his work in the private sector.”

CPAWS urges the Minister to ensure the completion of MPA networks in the five marine bioregions where they are currently underway (Pacific Northern Shelf Bioregion, Scotian Shelf and Bay of Fundy, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Newfoundland Shelf, and the Western Arctic). We also urge the Minister’s attention on completing longstanding MPA candidates, including the languishing Southern Strait of Georgia proposed National Marine Conservation, the long-awaited MPAs for the St. Lawrence Estuary and Les Iles de la Madeleine, and more recent proposals for the Eastern Shore Islands (NS), and Fundian Channel-Browns Bank. We also hope to see problematic regulations for the Laurentian Channel are fixed ahead of designation.

“We hope that in responding to the recommendations coming from the National Panel on MPA Standards, that the new Minister will finally set strong standards for the protection of all MPAs in Canada from harmful activities that compromise their ecological integrity,” adds Jessen.

“During this time of declining biodiversity and increasing climate change impacts, our ability to work together to better conserve and protect ocean ecosystems is vital for the long-term health of our ocean environments and will help to ensure that Canada meets its international conservation commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity,” adds Jessen. “This will also require a more comprehensive approach to ocean management that focuses on marine spatial planning together with MPA networks – an approach that needs to be undertaken throughout Canada’s ocean territory.”

“The Prime Minister and his government have set an ambitious agenda for Canada on ocean conservation. CPAWS pledges to work collaboratively with governments, including Indigenous governments, to help advance marine protected areas, and we look forward to seeing Canada take a leadership role in setting new international targets and commitments that will ensure the future health of the global ocean,” adds Jessen.

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