Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will invest $1.2 billion to strengthen marine conservation, safety and emergency response.
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Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $1.2 billion investment in ocean protection while speaking in Vancouver on September 29.
Carney said the investment will focus on marine conservation, safety, monitoring, emergency response and protecting marine life.
He said Canada has increased the amount of its marine and coastal areas under protection from roughly 1% a decade ago to more than 15% today, and the government aims to protect 30% by 2030.
Carney also described infrastructure plans intended to support economic growth alongside environmental protection. He said the government is investing $10 billion to transform the Port of Vancouver, while expanding the ports of Prince Rupert and Stewart and replacing the Massey Tunnel.
According to Carney, the combined infrastructure projects could unlock $100 billion in new trade opportunities and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The government is also investing $186 million over five years through the Northern Shelf Bioregion Reconciliation Framework Agreement, which Carney said will support Indigenous partnerships, conservation, emergency preparedness and waterway management along the West Coast, including the Great Bear Sea region.
Carney said the federal government will add $9 million for monitoring and enforcement to address increased ship traffic and pressure on marine ecosystems.
He said the $1.2 billion investment will strengthen the Canadian Coast Guard, improve marine traffic monitoring and expand radar and radio coverage, along with improving responses to oil spills and other hazardous pollution.
Carney said a national marine mammal oil spill response plan will be created to help protect whales and other marine life during emergencies.
He also said the strategy includes keeping underwater noise at current levels and planning vessel activity around whale migration patterns and behaviour.
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