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NR-PR-04-053e |
September 18, 2004 |
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CANADA AND
BRITISH COLUMBIA JOIN FORCES TO IMPLEMENT VANCOUVER – The Honourable Geoff Regan, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), and the Honourable John van Dongen, British Columbia Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, today signed the Canada-BC Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Respecting the Implementation of Canada’s Oceans Strategy on the Pacific Coast.
Signed by Ministers Regan and van Dongen on behalf of the
Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, the
MOU was also endorsed by the Deputy Ministers of the following
federal and provincial departments, ministries and agencies who
are committed to its implementation:
“On behalf of Canada, I would like to commend Minister van Dongen and the Government of BC for showing leadership in the responsible management of Canada’s oceans and its resources,” said Minister Regan. “This MOU reflects our mutual recognition that in working together we can better understand and protect the marine environment while supporting sustainable economic opportunities for present and future generations of Canadians on the West Coast.” “The province of BC has significant economic and social interests in our coastal and marine areas,” said John van Dongen, B.C. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. “This agreement helps us move forward on cooperative management and stewardship of our vital marine resources and environment.” To implement the MOU, the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia have agreed to jointly develop sub-agreements on implementation measures for:
“This MOU is a great example of the federal government’s commitment to establish cooperative working agreements with the provinces and territories to better fulfill our responsibilities, and it will serve as a model for future work with other jurisdictions,” Minister Regan added. “Canada’s Oceans Strategy is our national policy on implementing the Oceans Act. We are further supporting this by developing a new Oceans Action Plan as promised in the last Throne Speech. This MOU is a vitally important step forward in building cooperative leadership to support a national oceans agenda.” Under the Oceans Action Plan, the Government of Canada is investing time and resources to establish Canada’s international leadership as a responsible steward of marine resources, to improve the health of our oceans, to expand integrated management and federal-provincial partnerships, and to promote ecosystem-based science and new technologies that are necessary for a modern oceans management regime. “We're fulfilling B.C.'s promise for greater provincial engagement with the federal government on management on our coastal resources and fisheries,” said van Dongen. “This coordinated approach recognizes and values the principles of shared management, improved science and a better understanding of the marine environment. Together, we can reach the province's goals for sustainable development, effective environmental protection and healthy coastal communities.” This is the first federal-provincial MOU on the implementation of Canada’s Oceans Strategy. The Government of Canada wishes to explore similar MOUs with other jurisdictions. The Memorandum of Understanding Respecting the Implementation of Canada’s Oceans Strategy on the Pacific Coast is available on this website as well as on the website of the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries at: www.gov.bc.ca/agf. - 30 – View photos from the press conference BACKGROUNDER: BG-PR-04-053e
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