Prime Minister Carney announces historic investment to protect Canada's oceans

VANCOUVER, BC, Sept. 29, 2026 /CNW/ -- Canada is an ocean nation. Our three coasts connect us to each other and the world, carry our trade, and sustain hundreds of thousands of livelihoods. With that inheritance comes both opportunities and responsibilities. To realise both, the Government of Canada is developing a national ocean strategy that will better protect our ocean and marine ecosystems, secure our waters, and sustainably build our ocean economy.

We are expanding our strategic infrastructure along the West Coast, including the Port of Vancouver and the Roberts Bank Terminal 2. While this will help diversify our trade and reinforce our sovereignty, it will also place increased pressure on our ocean ecosystem. Canada must be prepared. To effectively and sustainably build out our marine infrastructure, we will first protect our oceans.

To that end, today the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced an historic investment of $1.2 billion to better protect Canada's oceans and the life they sustain. The measures renewed and introduced today will increase monitoring, strengthen ocean science and ecosystem protections, and improve our marine incident prevention and preparedness.

These measures build on the ambitious work underway that is cementing Canada's position as a global leader in ocean conservation. The government's landmark initiatives so far include a new nature strategy, A Force of Nature, to protect 30% of Canada's oceans by 2030, an Atlantic salmon program and a renewed Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, and nearly $260 million in new measures to protect whales from vessel traffic and noise. To date, the Government of Canada has invested $3.2 billion in new systems, research, and personnel that will protect our oceans and marine life.

To accelerate and expand that work, the Prime Minister announced the following new investments today.

1.    As marine traffic grows, Canada's new government will invest more than $740 million over the next four years to strengthen ocean conservation. We will:

• Renew several existing measures in the Oceans Protection Plan that advance marine science, protect ecosystems, and strengthen incident prevention and preparedness.
• Expand the Canadian Coast Guard's capacity to monitor marine traffic and strengthen search and rescue stations with more integrated marine response capabilities.
• Extend very high frequency (VHF) radio and radar coverage to areas where it is limited.
• Develop a national high-resolution nearshore forecasting system to improve real-time emergency response.
• Establish a new environmental recovery framework on all coasts for long-term recovery from marine pollution incidents, expanding coverage from oil spills to other chemical hazards.
• Modernise marine safety and oversight systems for inspections and certification, with a goal of reducing compliance costs by 20%.
• Modernise conservation and protection enforcement by increasing front-line capacity, equipping conservation and protection officers with modern tools like body-worn cameras, drones, and protective gear, providing specialised training, and upgrading outdated systems.

2.    To specifically protect marine life, Canada's new government will build on the recent renewal and enhancement of whale protection measures and invest a further $136 million over the next four years to:

• Develop a national marine mammal oil spill response plan and strengthen local partner readiness with training and equipment so we can act quickly to protect marine mammals and their habitats in the event of a spill.
• Enhance long-term capacity to monitor, assess, and mitigate underwater noise across the Pacific and Arctic, and on the East Coast.
  • This includes working with companies and individual owner-operators to reduce noise with proven technologies, such as low-noise propellers, electric and hybrid motors, and hull improvements to make vessels more hydrodynamic.
• Establish an Arctic monitoring program to understand baseline and future noise, assess mitigation measures, and inform major project reviews and regional planning.

3.    To strengthen Indigenous partnerships and conservation efforts on the West Coast, the government will:

• Invest $186 million for the Northern Shelf Bioregion Reconciliation Framework Agreement. This will advance collaborative governance, conservation, waterway management, emergency preparedness, and cumulative effects work in the critical Great Bear Sea region.
• The government is also investing in Indigenous-led stewardship and restoration of the Lower Fraser River Estuary.

In the coming months, the government will release the other two pillars of Canada's ocean strategy: our plans to secure our waters and to build our ocean economy. Much of this work is underway, with historic investments to strengthen our ports, small craft harbours, and fisheries. All of this work will accelerate as Canada prepares to welcome the world for the 12^th Our Ocean Conference in May. We will convene governments, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and coastal communities to turn ambition into concrete action to protect our oceans at home and around the world.

Quotes

"The further we reach in our ambitions, the greater our responsibility to protect what we have inherited. So as we build our economy, we are conserving our environment through one integrated plan. We can and will do both. 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."
-- The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada

"Healthy oceans depend on the people who protect them. These historic investments will give our conservation and protection officers modern tools to protect our oceans, coastlines, and natural habitats. Canadians can be proud of the front-line work our officers do every day, making sure our resources remain healthy and productive for generations to come. And through a renewed and expanded Oceans Protection Plan, we're working with Indigenous and coastal communities to respond quickly when marine emergencies happen and safeguard the ecosystems our fisheries depend on. As we build our ocean economy, we must do so safely and collaboratively, with those who depend on our oceans."
-- The Hon. Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries

"Canada's oceans are vital to our communities, our economy, and our way of life. Together, we are building a safer marine transportation system that supports communities, safeguards our oceans for future generations, and keeps Canada's supply chains moving reliably and sustainably. The Oceans Protection Plan is a Canadian success story, and we are building on that success to keep our waters safe and our economy moving."
-- The Hon. Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

"Canada's Nature Strategy recognises that protecting nature means protecting our oceans and the incredible ecosystems and species they support. Our oceans are essential to Canada's biodiversity, economy, coastal communities, and way of life. Through this investment, we are taking action to protect and conserve our waters, ensuring Canada's oceans remain healthy and resilient for generations to come."
-- The Hon. Julie Aviva Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature

Quick facts

• Canada has the world's longest coastline – bordering the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic oceans – and one of the world's largest marine territories.
• Canada's oceans and marine ecosystems are central to the country's economy, security, sovereignty, and response to climate change. The Arctic is warming at more than four times the global rate, making stronger ocean observation and understanding increasingly important.
• As part of A Force of Nature: Canada's Strategy to Protect Nature, Canada is working to conserve 30% of its lands and oceans by 2030, including through new marine protected and conserved areas and Indigenous-led conservation initiatives.
• Last week, at the 81^st United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Carney also announced:
  • $82 million over five years to strengthen Canada's ocean observation capacity and support the Global Ocean Observing System.
  • Canada's ratification of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction – also known as the High Seas Treaty – to help protect and sustainably manage marine biodiversity in international waters.
• Canada co-chairs the OceanEye International Alliance with the European Union. This new initiative aims to strengthen global ocean observation capacity in support of climate forecasting, maritime security, and sustainable economic growth.
• Canada will host the 12^th Our Ocean Conference (OOC) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, from May 10 to 11, 2027. As host of the OOC, Canada will work with global partners to accelerate commitments, strengthen ocean governance, and translate international ambition into tangible results. The OOC will be chaired by Canada's new Ocean Envoy, Madame Diana Fox Carney.

Associated link

• Our Ocean Conference

This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office

PMO Media Relations: [email protected]