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Carney announces $1.2B ocean protection plan: Coast Guard, whales, Great Bear Sea
On Oct 8, Mark Carney announced a $1.2B investment to protect Canada's oceans: $740M over four years for ocean conservation, $136M for marine life, $186M for the Great Bear Sea reconciliation framework; Canada will host the 12th Our Ocean Conference in 2027.
Why it matters
Canada has the world's longest coastline, and with the Port of Vancouver and Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansions coming, the Carney government is choosing 'protect first, build second': the $1.2 billion is the first pillar of a national ocean strategy, with the other two pillars (securing waters, building the ocean economy) due in the coming months. Ottawa has already invested $3.2 billion in ocean protection, aiming to conserve 30% of oceans by 2030.
Full report
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Oct 8 that the federal government will invest $1.2 billion to protect Canada's oceans and marine life, as the first pillar of a national ocean strategy now being developed.
First: more than $740 million over the next four years to strengthen ocean conservation — renewing Oceans Protection Plan measures, expanding the Canadian Coast Guard's marine-traffic monitoring and search-and-rescue capacity, extending VHF radio and radar coverage, building a national high-resolution nearshore forecasting system, creating an environmental recovery framework for marine pollution (expanding from oil spills to other chemical hazards), modernizing marine safety oversight with a goal of cutting compliance costs by 20%, and upgrading front-line enforcement with body-worn cameras, drones and protective gear.
Second: $136 million over four years to protect marine life — a national marine-mammal oil spill response plan, long-term monitoring and mitigation of underwater noise across the Pacific, the Arctic and the East Coast (working with operators on low-noise propellers, electric and hybrid motors and hull improvements), and a new Arctic monitoring program to inform major project reviews.
Third: $186 million for the Northern Shelf Bioregion Reconciliation Framework Agreement, advancing collaborative governance, conservation, waterway management and emergency preparedness in the Great Bear Sea, plus funding for Indigenous-led stewardship and restoration of the Lower Fraser River Estuary.
Context: at last week's 81st UN General Assembly, Carney announced $82 million for ocean observation and Canada's ratification of the High Seas Treaty. Canada will host the 12th Our Ocean Conference in Halifax on May 10–11, 2027, chaired by Ocean Envoy Diana Fox Carney.
Carney said: 'The further we reach in our ambitions, the greater our responsibility to protect what we have inherited. We will build major infrastructure, diversify our trade, and create hundreds of thousands of jobs — safely, responsibly, and in ways that protect our oceans for generations to come.' Ministers Joanne Thompson (Fisheries), Steven MacKinnon (Transport) and Julie Dabrusin (Environment) also issued statements of support.
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