The House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans met to continue its study on marine and coastal protections. Appearing as witnesses were Anna Metaxas, Killam Professor at Dalhousie University; Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada's Ocean Supercluster; Dwan Street, President of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers - Unifor; Aaron Heidt, Operations Manager for the Great Bear Sea Marine Protected Area Network; Richard Paton, Assistant Executive Director of Marine and Wildlife Conservation for the Qikiqtani Inuit Association; and Francis Skeard, a Councilor for the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation.
Professor Anna Metaxas stated that science unequivocally supports marine conservation areas as a tool to protect biodiversity, but stressed that success requires broad and deep consultations with stakeholders and rights holders from the start, as long-standing mistrust of government can derail the process. She noted that the system is still evolving and that adequate human and financial resources are needed for consultations, socio-economic analysis, and robust monitoring to ensure objectives are achieved.
Kendra MacDonald argued that monitoring, enforcement, and impact measurement have not kept pace with the expansion of marine protected areas globally, and that Canada lacks a national marine spatial plan or comprehensive blue economy strategy to integrate decisions across sectors. She recommended leveraging Canadian-developed technologies, such as AI-enabled fish monitoring and autonomous acoustic platforms, to provide ongoing, integrated data that can support evidence-based discussions and demonstrate whether conservation outcomes are being achieved.
Dwan Street stated that while her members support conservation, the implementation of marine protections since 2015 has had serious and lasting consequences for fishing communities, with fishing access often permanently removed without equivalent evidence-based assessments given to other industries. She highlighted a double standard where, in the northeast marine slope refuge, fishing is categorically prohibited while oil and gas exploration and development are allowed, and called for transparency, adaptive management, and equal treatment of all ocean users, with fish harvester knowledge central to ongoing monitoring.
Aaron Heidt clarified that the Great Bear Sea MPA network action plan is a blueprint, not a final designation, and was co-developed over a decade by 17 first nations and the governments of Canada and British Columbia through extensive stakeholder engagement that led to significant changes, including the removal of entire sites. He stated that a socio-economic overview estimated 8% of commercial fisheries' landed value could be affected, and that the partners have committed to long-term monitoring of economic, ecological, social, and cultural outcomes.
Richard Paton described the Qikiqtani Inuit Association's work to advance an Inuit-led approach to marine conservation, including the Tallurutiup Imanga national marine conservation area and the SINAA agreement signed in February 2025, which embeds an indigenous protected and conserved areas lens. He emphasized that the Government of Canada lacks support for including an IPCA approach under federal legislation, and that a conservation economy affirming Inuit jurisdiction and authority is vital to meeting conservation goals, with the Qikiqtani region representing 40% of Canada's 30 by 30 marine target.
Francis Skeard stated that the Qalipu Mi'kmaq First Nation supports marine conservation as a foundation for prosperity, and that the south coast fjords national marine conservation area model provided a framework for conservation and sustainable economy to coexist through co-governance. He argued that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador's decision to terminate the feasibility study was a missed opportunity, and that conservation must be done in partnership with indigenous peoples, who are rights holders and long-time stewards, not just stakeholders.
The committee also received notices of motion for future studies on the Atlantic mackerel and herring fishery, and on the small craft harbour program, and a motion was moved to add herring to the proposed mackerel study.
AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.