Canadian Environment Week

June 8, 2017

Today is World Oceans Day, a part of Environment Week. To celebrate, we’re highlighting Canada’s natural beauty and the work we’re doing to protect our environment and our coastlines for future generations.

From the world’s highest tides on the east coast, to the mountain ranges and Great Bear Rainforest on the west coast, to the stunning northern lights over the arctic — and all of our 43 national parks in between — Canada’s natural beauty is treasured from coast to coast to coast. And, World Ocean’s Day is particularly important for Canada, with its 243,000 km long coastline — the longest in the world!

That’s something we can all be proud of, and we recognize it’s something that must be preserved for future generations. When Canadians elected Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party in 2015, it was because we promised to help grow the middle class and secure a better future for our children, but also to protect the environment while growing our economy. And the Liberal government has carried through on that promise with steps like the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan, and Canada’s Innovation and Skills plan, announced in Budget 2017.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Garneau speak with the crew of the Sir Wilfred Laurier. November 7, 2016.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Minister Garneau announce the Oceans Protection Plan. November 7, 2016.

Canadians can be confident that our coastlines and coastal communities are protected from growing threats — Canada’s Oceans Protection Plan helps to ensure that our coastal communities and oceans are protected from oil pollution, shipwrecks, noise pollution, and other marine threats. This includes the Oil Tanker Moratorium Act, which regulates oil tanker traffic around at-risk coastal communities along BC’s north coast.

We understand that protecting our environment and growing our economy must go hand in hand. After a decade of Stephen Harper and the Conservative government failing to invest in a clean growth economy, the Liberal government is investing to create good middle class jobs in green energy and clean technologies. That means more money in Canadians’ pockets, now and for decades to come.

These historic investments help deliver on the promise of a better future for all Canadians, and a healthier planet for everyone. In 2015, Canadians made it clear that they were tired of inaction on the environment, and that’s why we’re focused on ensuring our children and grandchildren have clean air to breath and safe water to drink for years to come. Canadians know we need to take collective action to do so, which is why Canada signed onto to the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change and support clean economic growth together.

After all, there’s only one earth and we all need to do our part to preserve it for future generations.