Speaking notes
Dr. Mona Nemer
Chief Science Advisor of Canada
Ocean Science and Ocean Policy: A Multi-Partner Affair
All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance 2024 Forum
Canadian Museum of Nature
Ottawa, Ontario
October 10, 2024
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Bonjour tout le monde. It’s a pleasure to be with so many colleagues who are passionate about the health of our oceans.
And thank you for having me with you in this wonderful space.
The Canadian Museum of Nature was established in 1856, eleven years before Canada was founded!
I like to think that it reflects Canada’s long history of scientific research and excellence, one that you likely already appreciate.
My friend Danika Goosney, the Museum CEO, has injected a new sense of vitality here, with exceptional exhibits and ongoing exciting research on species discovery, arctic exploration, and more.
I want to thank Danika and the Museum for sharing their premises with us.
And I want to thank Fisheries and Oceans Canada for organizing and hosting this event — especially Assistant Deputy Minister Arran McPherson.
Thank you, Arran for all your hard work and Congratulations to you and the Organizing Committee for putting together this wonderful Conference.
As you may know, I am not a marine scientist, but I am in admiration of the work you all do.
Since I assumed the role of Canada’s chief science advisor, I have very often had to deal with ocean issues and science advice.
Examples include:
- aquaculture management
- biodiversity protection
- transportation routes and marine mammals
- deep ocean explorations
- plastic and microplastic pollution
- coastal degradation and
- the interplay between oceans and climate change,
to name a few. I’m sure they resonate.
For Canada and for many nations represented here, a better knowledge of our ocean is simply vital. It’s well known that Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world.
But let me put that into perspective for you.
Canada’s land border is also the longest in the world, and it separates us from only one neighbour.
The Canada–U.S. border measures nearly 9,000 kilometres.
By contrast, Canada’s international shoreline, encompassing the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific Oceans, is 27 times longer.
It measures more than 240,000 kilometres.
And it makes Canada neighbours with so many more nations on three continents.
And because we are the world’s largest coastal nation, we experience first hand, like several others, the devastating effects of increased maritime activity and warmer water temperatures on the ocean’s ability to sustain life and support human needs.
Not to mention the cascading effects on climate, agriculture, infrastructure and communities. Look no further than the devastation going on as we speak in Florida.
The ocean presents us complex challenges, but it may also hold unrealized opportunities for solutions to many global challenges.
These are far greater than any one nation can manage.
In the case of the ocean, the saying “what goes around comes around,” literally applies. So, what happens on your shores affects us and vice-versa.
Which is why, ocean science must be global. Science is critical for spatial and longitudinal knowledge of the many intricacies of our oceans, as well as for informing our policies and for tracking progress towards our objectives.
That’s why ocean research is a strategic priority for Canada.
And international cooperation and scientific collaboration are fundamental to Canada’s approach.
By now I hope that it’s evident to everyone here that ocean research in Canada or research that Canada sponsors or participates in is vast and comprehensive.
It is also carried out across the country in a wide variety of organizations, such as government, private sector or academic labs, as well as research done in and by communities.
The funding programs that support ocean research all encourage international collaboration, and their major research infrastructure welcomes collaborators from around the globe.
I will not list everything we’re doing but let me point to a few interesting programs that connect researchers and innovators across the country and around the world.
Let’s start with Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, an industry-led initiative to accelerate the commercialization of ocean technology and innovation.
The Ocean Supercluster is a cornerstone of the Blue Economy Strategy developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Others include Ocean Networks Canada a global leader in ocean observation and real-time data collection.
They maintain a massive trove of ocean data that is accessible to researchers here and around the world. I’ll come back to data and open science shortly.
In the past year, the federal government has announced major funding, through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFERF) to several research consortia that are putting oceans front and centre.
This is in addition to the renewed funding for Arctic Net.
Researchers in these networks are working with Indigenous communities, industries and international partners, bringing together diverse expertise, ranging from oceanography to engineering to social justice.
I assume many of you are already collaborators, but if you’re not, we welcome you!
I mention this, not to brag — we’re Canadians after all — but these are concrete ways by which we are affirming our commitment to international cooperation.
Because when we share data and infrastructure, we increase our own access to knowledge and specialized equipment, which accelerates our research and innovation.
But in opening our science to the world, from our publications to our observational data to our unique facilities, we are also allowing others to further our work.
And we are supporting capacity-building so that more countries and more researchers take part in the science enterprise and reap its benefits.
Equitable access to science is not only good for science, it’s key for enhancing public trust and for global solidarity.
Stable funding for research programs and infrastructure — including data bases, is also essential.
But for international research that requires so much data gathering and data analytics, data governance, access and sharing agreements are also essential, among others.
This is why a multilateral alliance like yours is increasingly important for coordinating research activities and harmonizing data collection within a sector.
It is also why G7 and G20 Science ministers have repeatedly called for open science, for data sharing in key sectors such as health and environment, and for co-financing large infrastructure.
And one of the most important benefits of the ocean science that we do together is that it can lead to better decision-making by our governments.
As Canada’s Chief Science Advisor, this is the key message I bring to you today.
The policy impacts of science are not always top-of-mind for many of us as we pursue our research, but they can be some of the most immediate societal benefits of our work.
As we increasingly demand evidence-informed policies and actions, we must be cognizant that we too have a role to play in integrating and communicating evidence to the public and to our public officials.
As a science community, we really stepped up to the challenge during the COVID pandemic and engaged in a productive dialog with our governments and our citizens.
I urge us to use the momentum and good will built to continue the science-policy dialog.
All nations claim sovereignty over their offshore waters, and every nation has different political and economic priorities for those regions.
But water knows no borders. Nor does wildlife, and nor does climate.
The oceans are a common resource, and a common challenge. What happens in one country’s jurisdiction affects everyone.
Thankfully, science knows no borders either.
The language of science, and the pursuit of greater knowledge about our oceans, provide the foundation for shared understanding — and for policy harmonization.
Earlier this year, I hosted the chief science advisors of Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
In our joint statement, we reiterated our commitment to leveraging science and technology to meet the greatest challenges of our time.
And I know that all the science advisors from this alliance’s member nations agree with that statement.
To give just one example of the power of joint actions : think of the Ocean Plastics Charter to eliminate marine plastic pollution that Canada helped create in 2018.
To date, a total of 28 governments have endorsed the charter, as have 75 businesses and organizations worldwide.
It’s a perfect example of how scientific research leads not only to evidence-based advice for governments, but to harmonized policy and concerted global action.
Because when our governments are being presented with the same data and the same information, it is much easier to reach common conclusions.
And it provides the basis for countries to implement common solutions together.
In this sense, science can do what may seem impossible. It can bridge the ocean.
This is why the work of the All-Atlantic Alliance is so important.
So on behalf of government science advisors everywhere, I thank you for the work you do, I wish you continued success in your research and I urge you to stay in touch.
Thank you. Merci.