The Government of Canada celebrated the successful conclusion of the Leadership Forum at the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) yesterday. The Ministers issued a Chairs’ Statement, which recognizes the need for increased international action and partnership with Indigenous Peoples in order to advance our shared goal of protecting our ocean and marine ecosystems. Several important initiatives that will help advance the health and protection of our oceans include details on the 2023 Protection Standards for Marine Protected Areas and key areas Canada intends on pursuing for marine protection and provided a progress update on the proposed Tang.ɢwan — ḥačxwiqak — Tsig̱is Marine Protected Area (MPA), a large ecologically unique ocean area located on average 150 kilometres off the west coast of Vancouver Island. Draft regulations for the MPA will be pre-published in Canada Gazette Part 1, on February 18th, for a public comment period of 30 days.
