Government of Canada to improve local maritime situational awareness through the Oceans Protection Plan
News Release
December 8, 2017 Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada has the world’s longest coastline, and our water is one of our most important resources. Canadians across the country rely on marine transportation to go about their everyday life or to deliver products to market in a safe and responsible way.
In November, we marked the one-year anniversary of Canada’s $1.5 billion Oceans Protection Plan—the largest investment ever made to protect Canada’s coasts and waterways. Last month, the Government of Canada announced that $62.5 million will be dedicated over five years for the Enhanced Maritime Situational Awareness initiative.
Local marine traffic around Canada’s coasts is increasing. The Enhanced Maritime Situational Awareness initiative will create an accessible, real-time, common operating picture that provides coastal partners, including Indigenous peoples, provincial governments, scientific non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders, with greater access to local maritime data.
This new action will be designed with, and will help Canada’s Indigenous peoples, coastal communities, and stakeholders to better understand activities occurring in the waters around them, improve collaboration between all parties, and lead to stronger marine safety planning, pollution prevention, and emergency response.
The Oceans Protection Plan is creating a world-leading marine safety system while preserving our ecosystems, creating strong Indigenous partnerships and engaging coastal communities, and investing in research to ensure decisions are evidence based.
Quotes
“The Government of Canada has taken an additional step to build a world-leading marine safety system that provides economic opportunities for Canadians today, while also protecting our environment and coastlines for the future. Making more information available with the latest tools will help ensure marine shipping in Canada is safe, responsible and better prepared to protect the marine environment and coastal communities.”
The Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport
“Partnership and collaboration at the local level is key to the success of Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan. Enhancing awareness of local maritime activity will help to ensure marine activities in Long Range Mountains are safe and responsible. ”
Gudie Hutchings
Member of Parliament for Long Range Mountains
Quick Facts
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The Government of Canada will work with coastal partners and stakeholders to develop a user-friendly and accessible system that will integrate existing and new sources of information. This includes acquiring space-based Automatic Identification System’s data services, which will enhance our collective understanding of what is happening in local waters.
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The Government of Canada has already announced initiatives worth more than $450 million under the Oceans Protection Plan.
Associated Links
Contacts
Delphine Denis
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport, Ottawa
613-991-0700
delphine.denis@tc.gc.ca
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
media@tc.gc.ca