SeaBlue Canada’s response to the Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, “Establishing Marine Protected Areas”

SeaBlue Canada's response to the Auditor General Report on Marine Protected Areas

November 13, 2025 | 3 min. read

SeaBlue Canada welcomes the findings of the Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development to the Parliament of Canada on Behalf of the Auditor General of Canada: “Establishing Marine Protected Areas” (Auditor General report) as an accurate documentation of collective progress on the marine protected areas targets. 

While we regret the conclusion that “Canada is not meeting its commitments in establishing protected and conserved marine and coastal areas”, there is a great deal of forward momentum to be acknowledged in the report. We believe that a clear pathway can be derived from the recommendations and that the successful implementation of the 30×30 commitments remains well within reach. However, we also acknowedge that funding will be critical to maintaining the positive trajectory and upholding the progress that has already been made.

SeaBlue Canada is a coalition of eight non-government environmental non-government organizations, working collectively for nearly a decade to hold Canada to account on the interim marine protected areas targets (25×25) and the obligations for marine conservation under the Global Biodiversity Framework (30×30). Through our individual partner organizations, we have colleagues involved in the establishment of every protected area mentioned in the report. The scope of coalition work positions SeaBlue Canada to comment competently on the results of the Auditor General report.

We would like to underscore that the percentage of Canada’s marine and coastal areas that are protected and conserved, as reflected in the report, does not accurately account for the work that has happened and continues to happen in Indigenous and coastal commmunities, nor does it account for the numerous community benefits that are already meaningfully contributing to sustainable livelihoods in remote Indigenous and coastal communities.

However, with meaningful strides being made in cooperative agreements with Indigenous nations and provincial governments, the report acknowledges in several sections the non-linear quality of speed of trust in rebuilding relationships and the complex manner of consultation.

Moreover, significant delays in processes across the federal departments were incurred due to the federal election and establishment of the new federal government. These delays were not mentioned explicitly in the report, but certainly contributed to deviations in timelines.

Finally, it is important to acknowledge that the incorporation of project finance for permance (PfP) projects (e.g. SINAA, Great Bear Sea) represents an entirely new process with new complexities. In the development of these projects, it is possible that there was some distraction from the regular departmental processes, resulting in lag. 

SeaBlue Canada fully supports the recommendations of this report and has worked actively as a coalition to move these recommendations forward, including encouraging streamlined collaboration across the federal departments and operationalizing the minimum protection standard. We are also very supportive of the recommendation to increase the transparency of the process.

While the coalition broadly supports the findings, the report only makes a cursory mention of the funding required to achieve these goals. As mentioned in the report, the original funding program is scheduled to finish in March 2026. 

A renewal of the funding or new funding to reach the deliverables was not announced in Budget 2025. While real progress has been achieved on nearly all areas on the interim target pathway, the report acknowledges that a pathway to 30×30 does not yet exist. If Canada commits establishment funds to all the sites currently in feasibility or pre-feasibility, we will be well positioned to meeting and surpassing 30×30. and will have the benefit of 10 years of relationship building and learning under our belts to become an international leader on marine conservation.

In conclusion, the report provides a clear look at the mosaic of components required for successful implementation of Canada’s marine protected area targets. While the interim targets will not be achieved in line with the original timeline, there has been a great deal of work and investment in the people and places that will form the foundation of a successful 30×30, particularly if the recommendations of the report are carried out and the pathway is adequately funded.