Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on 29 September 2026 in Vancouver an investment of C$1,2 billion to protect the oceans and strengthen marine conservation measures.
The funds will be directed amid growing tanker traffic. The announcement came several days before an expected decision on granting national project status to a new pipeline from Alberta to the southern coast of British Columbia.
More than C$740 million over four years will go toward updating the Oceans Protection Plan program, expanding the Coast Guard's maritime traffic monitoring capabilities, extending radio coverage and radar, creating a national coastal weather forecasting system, and equipping fishery inspectors with drones and body cameras.
Another C$136 million will be allocated to developing a national oil spill response plan for marine mammals and to monitoring underwater noise on all three of the country's coasts.
The remaining portion of the funds will support measures on the west coast, including agreements with Indigenous peoples in the Northern Shelf Bioregion.
Carney stressed that ocean protection must go hand in hand with economic development. The planned pipeline, he said, will avoid particularly sensitive areas and will follow a route close to the existing Trans Mountain, while the ban on tankers along the northern coast of British Columbia will remain in force.
Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson was present at the announcement together with the premier in North Vancouver.
The investment will become the first pillar of a new national oceans strategy and will complement previous investments of C$3,2 billion. They will help scale up monitoring and incident response systems amid growing shipping associated with port expansion and projects such as LNG Canada.
The government also promises to designate additional marine protected areas in the next three years and to continue work toward the goal of protecting 30% of Canada's oceans by 2030.
