Today, the Government of Canada and the Province of Quebec announced their firm intention to establish the first joint Marine Protected Area ─ the Banc-des-Américains ─ located off the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula. This will be the first project under the Canada-Quebec Collaborative Agreement to establish a network of marine protected areas in the Estuary and Gulf of the St. Lawrence.

"I welcome this agreement with the Government of Canada to increase the amount of marine protected areas in Quebec and the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The agreement complements the 2018-2030 Quebec Water Strategy, which I had the pleasure of launching yesterday to protect and restore aquatic environments. It is important to maximize our efforts to ensure that Quebec can better adapt to the impacts of climate change. We must act in order to guarantee the quality of the environment for our children and future generations."

Isabelle Melançon, Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change

"We are committed to jointly pursuing our international targets with a renewed spirit of collaboration. For the Government of Canada, it is important to work with the Government of Quebec to make positive and tangible progress towards conserving our marine and coastal areas through the protection of at least 10% of Canada's marine environment by 2020.”

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

"Oceans are important for our heritage, our culture and our economy. By working together to achieve our objectives, we invite everyone to join us in creating meaningful marine conservation decisions that will benefit both the environment and coastal communities, now and in the future.”

The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie – Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine

"The protection of marine ecosystems and the biodiversity they shelter is an important part of Quebec's Maritime Strategy. It is also a wise goal in this era of climate change. The people living near our great river, including the Bas-Saint-Laurent, can only be delighted with the Quebec government’s intention, reaffirmed today, to respect its international commitments in this area. I am certain local communities are relieved to see the Banc-des-Américains area being protected, news they have been waiting for a long time."

Jean D'Amour, Minister for Maritime Affairs and Minister responsible for the Bas-Saint-Laurent region

• The Canada-Quebec Bilateral Group on Marine Protected Areas, co-chaired by Quebec's Minister of Sustainable Development, the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, is a collaborative structure that brings together, at the provincial level, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and, at the federal level, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Parks Canada. This group is mandated to develop and implement conservation projects in the marine environment. 

• The Government of Canada is committed to protecting 10% of our marine and coastal areas by 2020.

• A 30-day public consultation period will begin with the pre-publication of the proposed Regulations for the Banc-des-Américains Marine Protected Area in Canada Gazette, Part I, scheduled for June 30, 2018. Public comments will be taken into consideration when finalizing the Regulations that will establish and govern the new Marine Protected Area.

• As part of its maritime strategy, the Government of Quebec has committed to protecting at least 10% of the Estuary and the Quebec section of the Gulf of the St. Lawrence by 2020, which represents approximately 14,500 km².

• There are two marine protected areas in Quebec: the Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park ─ a Canada-Quebec co-management initiative that is celebrating its 20-year anniversary, and the proposed Manicouagan Aquatic Reserve, designated in 2013. These two marine protected areas cover 1,957 km2 or, approximately 1.3% of Quebec's marine area.

Related products

• Backgrounder - Banc-des-Américains
• Other effective conservation measures
• Banc-des-Américains Area of Interest
• Marine Protected Area network: Estuary and Gulf of the St. Lawrence

Vincent Hughes
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast
613-992-3474
Vincent.Hughes@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Julien Marcotte
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and the Fight Against Climate Change
418-521-3911

Marc Lapointe
Press Secretary
Sustainable Development, Environment
418-691-5650

Media Relations
Communications
Fisheries and Oceans Canada
613-990-7537
media.xncr@dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Internet : www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Media Relations
Sustainable Development, Environment and Fight against Climate Change
418-521-3991