Canada has the longest ocean coastline in the world stretching over a quarter million km. We have depended on our oceans as a source of food, commerce and transportation for centuries and these links remain as vital today as they have throughout our history.
As a coastal nation, Canada has a responsibility to ocean stewardship which must be taken seriously.
Unfortunately we have learned the hard way that in ocean management, preventing problems is better than reacting to them. By the time reaction is necessary the damage to our ecosystem, and often times our economy, can last for decades.
The collapse of the Atlantic commercial fisheries in the 1980s has had a profound effect on the ecological, economic and socio-cultural structure of Atlantic Canada. In fact this July marks the 20th anniversary of the cod moratorium which remains the largest industrial closure in Canadian history. Since then, the recovery of ground fish off our Atlantic coast has been minimal and points to the continued mismanagement of our oceans.
On the West Coast, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in March 1989 remains one of the largest man-made environmental disasters to date. The impacts of this oil spill are still being felt in coastal communities, and 23 years later, 80,000 litres of crude oil remain on the ocean’s subsurface. It will take centuries before all the traces of this oil will be removed or broken down.
In the decades following, Canada tried implementing the necessary tools to better protect our oceans from similar disasters. The problem is that they have never been properly used and under this Conservative government Canada’s ocean strategies will most likely remain nothing but empty rhetoric.
There is no denying the lure of the Arctic, especially for the oil, gas, and transportation industries. It is estimated that 50 per cent of the world’s undiscovered hydrocarbons lie within the Arctic, including 30 per cent of undiscovered natural gas and 13 per cent of undiscovered oil supplies. These resources, combined with the melting polar ice that will open up new transit routes, means there will be a significant increase in global traffic in the Arctic Ocean. Canada needs to be prepared.
The problem is that we do not know enough about the Arctic’s ecosystem to determine how our actions in the North will affect local species, ecosystems and the indigenous peoples who rely on them. Until we know more, a moratorium should be implemented on all industrial exploration and commercial fishing.
The Arctic represents an opportunity for Canada to become a leader in ocean management through adequate funding of scientific research and by implementing and enforcing environmental regulations and safeguards.
Protecting the Arctic Ocean will be a significant task but with the right framework it can be achieved.
First, the Conservatives need to commit to science. They need to re-establish funding to essential projects such as the Polar Environmental Atmospheric Research Laboratory and the Ocean Pollution Monitoring Program.
Second, a comprehensive study into the Arctic’s ecosystems needs to be undertaken so sustainable fisheries management policies and monitoring systems can be created. Third, modern navigation maps of Canada’s entire Arctic region need to be drawn. Fourth, we need to introduce stronger shipping regulations for the Arctic to make sure that the vessels crossing our oceans adhere to the Arctic Waters Pollution Protection Act and the Canadian Shipping Act, 2001.
The NDP strongly believe in protecting our oceans. That is why my colleague, Fin Donnelly, MP for New Westminster-Coquitlam and Port Moody will be launching an All-Party Oceans Caucus today.
With good science and strong policies, the environment and the economy can work together. In 20 years, I want to read about how we have done a great job protecting the Arctic, and not more articles about disasters that could have been avoided.
NDP MP Robert Chisholm, who represents Dartmouth-Cole Harbour, N.S., is his party’s fisheries critic.
Original Article
Source:hill times
Author: Robert Chisholm
No comments:
Post a Comment