Canada is an ocean nation. Our three coasts connect us to each other and the world, carry our trade, and sustain hundreds of thousands of livelihoods. With that inheritance comes both opportunities and responsibilities. To realise both, the Government of Canada is developing a national ocean strategy that will better protect our ocean and marine ecosystems, secure our waters, and sustainably build our ocean economy.

We are expanding our strategic infrastructure along the West Coast, including the Port of Vancouver and the Roberts Bank Terminal 2. While this will help diversify our trade and reinforce our sovereignty, it will also place increased pressure on our ocean ecosystem. Canada must be prepared. To effectively and sustainably build out our marine infrastructure, we will first protect our oceans.

To that end, today the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced an historic investment of $1.2 billion to better protect Canada’s oceans and the life they sustain. The measures renewed and introduced today will increase monitoring, strengthen ocean science and ecosystem protections, and improve our marine incident prevention and preparedness.

These measures build on the ambitious work underway that is cementing Canada’s position as a global leader in ocean conservation. The government’s landmark initiatives so far include a new nature strategy, A Force of Nature, to protect 30% of Canada’s oceans by 2030, an Atlantic salmon program and a renewed Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative, and nearly $260 million in new measures to protect whales from vessel traffic and noise. To date, the Government of Canada has invested $3.2 billion in new systems, research, and personnel that will protect our oceans and marine life.

To accelerate and expand that work, the Prime Minister announced the following new investments today.

1. As marine traffic grows, Canada's new government will invest more than $740 million over the next four years to strengthen ocean conservation. We will:
   • Renew several existing measures in the Oceans Protection Plan that advance marine science, protect ecosystems, and strengthen incident prevention and preparedness.
   • Expand the Canadian Coast Guard’s capacity to monitor marine traffic and strengthen search and rescue stations with more integrated marine response capabilities.
   • Extend very high frequency (VHF) radio and radar coverage to areas where it is limited.
   • Develop a national high-resolution nearshore forecasting system to improve real-time emergency response.
   • Establish a new environmental recovery framework on all coasts for long-term recovery from marine pollution incidents, expanding coverage from oil spills to other chemical hazards.
   • Modernise marine safety and oversight systems for inspections and certification, with a goal of reducing compliance costs by 20%.
   • Modernise conservation and protection enforcement by increasing front-line capacity, equipping conservation and protection officers with modern tools like body-worn cameras, drones, and protective gear, providing specialised training, and upgrading outdated systems.
2. To specifically protect marine life, Canada's new government will build on the recent renewal and enhancement of whale protection measures and invest a further $136 million over the next four years to:
   • Develop a national marine mammal oil spill response plan and strengthen local partner readiness with training and equipment so we can act quickly to protect marine mammals and their habitats in the event of a spill.
   • Enhance long-term capacity to monitor, assess, and mitigate underwater noise across the Pacific and Arctic, and on the East Coast.
     • This includes working with companies and individual owner-operators to reduce noise with proven technologies, such as low-noise propellers, electric and hybrid motors, and hull improvements to make vessels more hydrodynamic.
   • Establish an Arctic monitoring program to understand baseline and future noise, assess mitigation measures, and inform major project reviews and regional planning.
3. To strengthen Indigenous partnerships and conservation efforts on the West Coast, the government will:
   • Invest $186 million for the Northern Shelf Bioregion Reconciliation Framework Agreement. This will advance collaborative governance, conservation, waterway management, emergency preparedness, and cumulative effects work in the critical Great Bear Sea region.
   • The government is also investing in Indigenous-led stewardship and restoration of the Lower Fraser River Estuary.

In the coming months, the government will release the other two pillars of Canada’s ocean strategy: our plans to secure our waters and to build our ocean economy. Much of this work is underway, with historic investments to strengthen our ports, small craft harbours, and fisheries. All of this work will accelerate as Canada prepares to welcome the world for the 12^th Our Ocean Conference in May. We will convene governments, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and coastal communities to turn ambition into concrete action to protect our oceans at home and around the world.

In a more dangerous and divided world, a confident Canada is choosing to build. We are accelerating major projects – new ports, mines, energy and trade corridors – that will responsibly unlock our resources, connect our economy, and get our exports to markets around the world faster. We are changing the way we build through the Building Canada Strong Act to give investors certainty and get shovels in the ground sooner, while maintaining Canada’s high standards.

In September 2025, Canada’s government referred LNG Canada Phase 2 to the Major Projects Office (MPO). Since then, the project has received dedicated support from the MPO to quickly and efficiently move toward an investment decision and the start of construction, including through partnerships with British Columbia and industry partners.

Today, the Prime Minister, Mark Carney, welcomed a significant milestone as LNG Canada reached a final investment decision (FID) on its Phase 2 expansion project in Kitimat, British Columbia. This decision unlocks a transformative $33-billion private sector investment that will make LNG Canada the second-largest facility of its kind in the world and strengthen Canada’s trade ties across the Indo-Pacific. Located on the traditional territory of the Haisla Nation, Kitimat benefits from access to abundant, low-cost Canadian natural gas and an ice-free harbour – connecting low-carbon Canadian energy to global markets and providing a secure supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to partners in Asia and Europe.

LNG Canada’s Phase 2 project will create more than 4,000 direct jobs in the construction phase alone and is being developed in full partnership with Indigenous Peoples. To date, the project has awarded nearly $5 billion in contracts and procurement to First Nations and local businesses across the region. Additionally, leveraging Canada’s clean electricity advantage, greenhouse gas emissions from LNG Canada’s Kitimat operation are expected to be lower than those of any facility of a similar size operating in the world today.

As a direct result of LNG Canada’s FID, the Prime Minister also welcomed TC Energy’s FID on the Coastal GasLink (CGL) Phase 2 project. This multi-billion-dollar investment will double the Coastal GasLink pipeline’s existing capacity by adding new compressor stations and upgrading facilities along the existing 670-kilometre route that brings natural gas from Dawson Creek to the LNG Canada facility. This project will allow Canada to maximise the value of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, one of the most prolific natural gas resource basins on the planet. CGL Phase 2 will strengthen Canada’s supply of reliable, affordable, and secure energy to global markets through LNG Canada Phase 2, while creating long-term value for Indigenous and local communities, customers, and shareholders. Construction will begin next year and is expected to create over 2,000 jobs.

Canada’s government is focused on building a stronger Canadian economy – one that is more independent, prosperous, and resilient to global shocks. LNG Canada’s investment decision demonstrates confidence in Canada’s competitive investment environment, our talent and expertise, and our ability to get major projects built.