Canada's ocean ecosystem health and functioning is critical to sustaining a strong maritime econo... more Canada's ocean ecosystem health and functioning is critical to sustaining a strong maritime economy and resilient coastal communities. Yet despite the importance of Canada's oceans and coasts, federal ocean policy and management have diverged substantially from marine science in the past decade. In this paper, key areas where this is apparent are reviewed: failure to fully implement the Oceans Act, alterations to habitat protections historically afforded under Canada's Fisheries Act, and lack of federal leadership on marine species at risk. Additionally, the capacity of the federal government to conduct and communicate ocean science has been eroded of late, and this situation poses a significant threat to current and future oceans public policy. On the eve of a federal election, these disconcerting threats are described and a set of recommendations to address them is developed. These trends are analyzed and summarized so that Canadians understand ongoing changes to the health of Canada's oceans and the role that their elected officials can play in addressing or ignoring them. Additionally, we urge the incoming Canadian government, regardless of political persuasion, to consider the changes we have documented and commit to aligning federal ocean policy with ocean science to ensure the health of Canada's oceans and ocean dependent communities.
Climate change and declining ice cover, as well as socio-political and economic incentives, are i... more Climate change and declining ice cover, as well as socio-political and economic incentives, are increasingly attracting corporate attention towards the Canadian North. Oil and gas companies have renewed their interests in extracting these offshore hydrocarbon resources, and are now seeking and receiving exploration licenses to begin their search for oil throughout Nunavut’s offshore. In the Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, seismic surveying for oil and gas is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2016, leaving the government with a limited time frame to create and establish legislation that will define the role Nunavummiut in these developments. The Nunavut government is the only Canadian legislation that has publicly promised to incorporate local Inuit perspectives and knowledge into all aspects of its operations, including oil and gas. Valuable information about the territory’s socio-economic and natural environment is embedded within Inuit knowledge, and can serve to inform policy deve...
Canada's ocean ecosystem health and functioning is critical to sustaining a strong maritime econo... more Canada's ocean ecosystem health and functioning is critical to sustaining a strong maritime economy and resilient coastal communities. Yet despite the importance of Canada's oceans and coasts, federal ocean policy and management have diverged substantially from marine science in the past decade. In this paper, key areas where this is apparent are reviewed: failure to fully implement the Oceans Act, alterations to habitat protections historically afforded under Canada's Fisheries Act, and lack of federal leadership on marine species at risk. Additionally, the capacity of the federal government to conduct and communicate ocean science has been eroded of late, and this situation poses a significant threat to current and future oceans public policy. On the eve of a federal election, these disconcerting threats are described and a set of recommendations to address them is developed. These trends are analyzed and summarized so that Canadians understand ongoing changes to the health of Canada's oceans and the role that their elected officials can play in addressing or ignoring them. Additionally, we urge the incoming Canadian government, regardless of political persuasion, to consider the changes we have documented and commit to aligning federal ocean policy with ocean science to ensure the health of Canada's oceans and ocean dependent communities.
Climate change and declining ice cover, as well as socio-political and economic incentives, are i... more Climate change and declining ice cover, as well as socio-political and economic incentives, are increasingly attracting corporate attention towards the Canadian North. Oil and gas companies have renewed their interests in extracting these offshore hydrocarbon resources, and are now seeking and receiving exploration licenses to begin their search for oil throughout Nunavut’s offshore. In the Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, seismic surveying for oil and gas is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2016, leaving the government with a limited time frame to create and establish legislation that will define the role Nunavummiut in these developments. The Nunavut government is the only Canadian legislation that has publicly promised to incorporate local Inuit perspectives and knowledge into all aspects of its operations, including oil and gas. Valuable information about the territory’s socio-economic and natural environment is embedded within Inuit knowledge, and can serve to inform policy deve...
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