Canada is doing less to protect its waters than most other G8 countries, says a group of marine scientists from across Canada which is raising concerns about the federal government’s approach to ocean protection. The group of 15 scientists sent a letter to Environment Minister Catherine McKenna and Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc Wednesday calling on them to restrict human activity in Canada’s marine protected areas (MPAs). Rodolphe Devillers, a geography professor at Memorial University in Newfoundland, said there’s a “double standard” in the way Canada approaches protected areas: where national parks are off-limits to most human activity, marine protected areas rarely are. Part of the problem, Devillers said, is that there are many different government agencies that play a role in shaping protected areas. While Fisheries and Oceans Canada can control fishing, the department has little control over shipping and other maritime activities.

Source: National Post June 14, 2017 19:18 UTC