Canada's oceans are at a tipping point due to the cumulative effects of industrial fishing, pollution, and climate change. In order to protect our oceans into the future we must be strategic about what we take from it and what we put into it.
Scientific studies have repeatedly demonstrated that marine protected areas are essential to maintain and restore marine biodiversity (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005). Consequently, the David Suzuki Foundation encourages the federal government to proceed with phase II of the Oceans Action Plan. This initiative has been stalled due to insufficient funding, leaving sensitive and important marine areas unprotected and poorly managed. The implementation of a marine-use planning process under the mandate of the Oceans Action Plan will address the development of a system of representative marine protected areas (MPAs), and clear and measurable conservation objectives, as well as management practices that identify where and to what degree industrial practices are permitted.
Question for candidates: Does your political party intend to support and provide federal funding for the implementation of phase II of the Oceans Action Plan?