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Canada's Oceans Strategy
Canada’s Oceans Strategy is a new, modern approach to oceans governance
in Canada. It is designed to transform the way we manage and benefit from
our oceans and their resources.
At the heart of the Oceans Strategy is a commitment to adopt an
integrated approach to oceans governance.
Integrated management of our oceans requires that we find new ways to
collaborate – across the federal government, with provinces and territories,
with First Nations and Aboriginal people and organizations, with oceans
industries, with academia and civil society, with other nations and
international organizations, and with Canadians generally.
Canada’s Oceans Strategy provides the framework through which we can work
together to ensure that our oceans are used in a sustainable way.
As called for in the Oceans Act, the Oceans Strategy is based on
the principles of sustainable development, integrated management, and the
precautionary approach. The Strategy calls for the broad application of
these principles to all oceans activities.
The Oceans Strategy establishes four over-arching objectives:
- understanding and protecting the marine environment
- supporting sustainable economic development,
- international leadership, and
- modern oceans governance.
To further each of these objectives, the Strategy also elaborates a
series of actions that will be undertaken. Highlights of these measures are
as follows:
Understanding and Protecting the Marine Environment
- Development of a "State of the Ocean" reporting system
- Improvement of our scientific knowledge base of marine ecosystems
- Development of a framework for a program of action to address
sea-based sources of marine pollution
- Development of a strategy for a national network of marine protected
areas
Supporting Sustainable Economic Development
- Strengthening of measures to improve and support management and
governance of marine industries, including fishing, aquaculture, offshore
oil and gas, offshore minerals, shipbuilding and industrial marine, and
innovation
- Conducting an economic analysis of emerging oceans industries
- Developing a marine and oceans industries technology roadmap to help
identify technologies that could be supported by Technology Partnerships
Canada (TPC)
- Examination of regulatory regimes to improve coordination and ensure
effective environmental protection
International Leadership
- Strengthening the maintenance of maritime sovereignty and security
- Development of management arrangements with bordering nations for
management of trans-boundary coastal and marine ecosystems
- Supporting capacity development for developing countries for the
sustainable development of marine resources
Oceans Governance
- Implementing integrated management planning initiatives on all three
coasts
- Developing a federal-provincial-territorial work plan for oceans
management for the Canadian Council of Fisheries and Aquaculture Ministers
- Promoting the engagement of Canadians in stewardship activities for
the sustainable development of our oceans
Further details of Canada’s Oceans Strategy can be found at:
www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/oceanscanada. |