FOPO Committee Report

Supplementary Opinion of the New Democratic Party

It is the opinion of the New Democratic Party that in order to sustain marine ecosystems and biodiversity, Marine Protected Areas and MPA law should limit human activity. This includes amending the Oceans Act to:

1.  Include minimum protection standards in all MPAs that allow for Indigenous governance or co-governance, respect Indigenous rights, and speed up conservation of marine ecosystems. Minimum protection standards must include the following in order to provide adequate protection to all elements of biodiversity in ocean ecosystems in MPAs:

Prohibitions on:

•   Oil and gas and mineral exploration and development;
•   Wind farms and tidal power development;
•   Open net-pen aquaculture;
•   Bottom trawling;
•   A requirement for significant no-take zones that are closed to all extractive activities.

2.  Reflect the federal government’s commitments to implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and working in true government-to-government relationships with Canada’s Indigenous Peoples, consistent with the Canadian constitution.  Specific legislative amendments should include explicit recognition of Indigenous governance rights and co-governance models, appropriate recognition of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, and options for the delegation of monitoring and enforcement authority to Indigenous guardians.

3.  Allow for marine protected area designation over a broad area, or a suite of sites that comprise an MPA network, for enhanced protection following the completion of comprehensive ecosystem-based management plans.