Canada's Oceans Strategy

Strategic Directions for Implementing Canada's Oceans Strategy

Implementing Canada's Oceans Strategy requires action under each of the Strategy's policy objectives:

1. Understanding and Protecting the Marine Environment;
2. Supporting Sustainable Economic Opportunities; and
3. International Leadership.

As well, the goal of the Strategy is to pursue specific initiatives to promote oceans governance.

Implementation of the Strategy challenges Canada to explore new ways of looking at our ocean resources, and new ways of doing business.
The activities currently identified within this document are examples of initiatives over a four-year period that will be undertaken by the Government of Canada in support of the Strategy.

The Government of Canada would like to engage in discussions on these activities to expand them beyond the federal government.

The Government of Canada invites comments to include activities that may be undertaken by and in partnership with other Canadians. These include provincial and territorial governments, municipal governments, affected Aboriginal organizations and communities, ocean industries such as fishing, shipping and oil and gas interests, environmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, coastal communities, and other individuals or organizations with an interest in oceans management and the implementation of Canada's Oceans Strategy.

Canada's oceans have played an important role historically and they offer much promise for the future. Canada's Oceans Strategy invites others to work collectively to ensure healthy, safe and prosperous oceans for the benefit of current and future generations of Canadians.

Activities

Grouped under the main policy objectives of Canada's Oceans Strategy, the intention is to implement the federal activities over a four-year period. Advancing these activities requires varying levels of support. Some simply require doing business in new ways through the establishment of committees or conducting joint research. Other activities require policy approval and new financial resources. Still others may require legislative or regulatory change, or changes to the international oceans governance regime.

Understanding and Protecting the Marine Environment

Improved scientific knowledge base for estuarine, coastal and marine ecosystems:

• Improve co-operation in the collection, monitoring and disseminating of information, including the integration of traditional ecological knowledge;
• Better understand ecosystem dynamics including climate, variability and the impact of change on living marine resources, as well as a new orientation towards operational oceanography;
• Promote the development of a State of the Oceans Reporting system;
• Promote academic liaison on oceans research for and among natural and social sciences, especially through the Oceans Management Research Network; and
• Strengthen the co-ordination of ocean science in support of ocean management.

Policies and programs aimed at marine pollution prevention:

• Improve existing legislation and guidelines on marine environmental protection and maintain an on-going review and assessment of the adequacy of marine pollution prevention standards;
• Support the implementation of the National Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, in particular the identified priority areas of sewage and physical alteration/destruction of habitat;
• Develop a more proactive implementation of the fish habitat protection policy;
• Develop a framework for a National Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Sea-based Activities to address priority areas such as ballast water discharges and the introduction of exotic species; and
• Promote the implementation of the green infrastructure program in coastal communities to improve sewage treatment

Conservation and protection of the marine environment:

• Develop a strategy for a national network of Marine Protected Areas;
• Support and promote efforts to protect underwater cultural heritage;
• Establish and implement a Marine Environmental Quality policy and operational framework under the Oceans Act; and
• Support new legislation, regulations and policies and programs aimed at protecting marine species at risk.

Supporting Sustainable Economic Opportunities

Sectoral measures to improve and support governance and management of marine industries:

• Support and promote initiatives underway within Fisheries and Oceans Canada such as the Atlantic Fisheries Policy Review and Aquaculture development;
• Support and promote the sustainability elements of initiatives underway across the federal government such as offshore oil and gas, offshore mineral development, shipbuilding and industrial marine, Innovation Agenda and northern development; and
• Ensure the provision and maintenance of efficient, effective and secure marine transportation.

New and emerging opportunities for oceans industries and oceans-related coastal development:

• Support partnerships for innovative industries;
• Support new and emerging fisheries and aquaculture developments, industries supplying environmental equipment and services and new and emerging Canadian capability in servicing and supplying the offshore developments;
• Support economic diversification in coastal communities to ensure participation within the larger oceans economy;
• Promote technology transfer, market access, and business development for oceans products and services internationally;
• Promote an "Oceans Team Canada" approach; and
• Explore the removal of trade barriers to oceans industry development.

Co-operation and co-ordination to support and promote business development in the oceans sector:

• Examine regulatory regimes to ensure effective environmental protection and streamline regulations;
• Examine programs that provide support for industry to ensure that oceans opportunities are captured. This includes viewing programs such as Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Western Economic Diversification, Central Economic Diversification and provincial/territorial initiatives through an ocean-centered agenda;
• Conduct economic analysis on emerging oceans industries;
• Support National Research Council and Industry Canada development of develop a Marine and Ocean Industry Technology Roadmap to help identify technologies that could be supported by Technology Partnerships Canada (TPC);
• Support efforts to secure Canadian industrial benefits from the development of offshore oil and gas, in partnership with the industry, provinces and other stakeholders; and
• Work with industry to develop and implement codes of practice for sustainable oceans use.

International Leadership

Sovereignty and security:

• Promote national and international collaboration to prevent illegal activity and enforce national and international obligations;
• Support and promote the maintenance of maritime sovereignty and security; and
• Promote a national and international marine safety network.

International oceans governance:

• Promote compliance with existing international agreements;
• Support and promote an Arctic/circumpolar agenda through the Arctic Council;
• Promote integrated management, stewardship and precautionary approach as the overriding principles for oceans management in international fora, including the World Summit on Sustainable Development; and
• Develop management arrangements with bordering nations for trans-boundary coastal and marine ecosystems.

Share experience, promote compliance and build capacity, in particular for developing nations:

• Support and promote consultative processes at the United Nations;
• Provide capacity for effective implementation of ocean management regimes such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea;
• Support capacity development for developing countries for the sustainable development of marine resources and ocean spaces; and
• Promote a coherent approach to managing oceans within the global governance system at both a regional and global level.

Oceans Governance

Establish mechanisms and bodies for oceans co-operation and collaboration:

• Strengthen institutional arrangements at the national and regional level;
• Explore arrangements for strengthening relationships with Aboriginal people in oceans management;
• Support the Minister's Advisory Council on Oceans;
• Support the Oceans Task Group under Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers;
• Examine the use of other federal, provincial, territorial fora in relation to ocean management such as Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment;
• Strengthen and expand institutional arrangements to implement Oceans Act responsibilities at the national and regional level; and
• Explore options to use the Government On-Line initiative as a tool to promote oceans management co-operation and collaboration.

Promote Integrated Management planning for all Canada's coastal and marine waters:

• Support implementation of the Policy and Operational Framework for Integrated Management of Estuarine, Coastal and Marine Environments in Canada;
• Support the planning processes for Large Ocean Management Areas; and
• Support coastal and watershed planning initiatives.

Stewardship and public awareness activities:

• Support regional and national stewardship initiatives, including the development of a national framework;
• Promote engagement of Canadians in stewardship initiatives;
• Support and promote public awareness of oceans and ocean issues;
• Encourage public and private partnerships; and
• Promote public education on oceans.