e-2611 (Environment)

Petition to the Prime Minister

• Like every nation on Earth, Canada depends on the Arctic Ocean as a global life support that keeps us cool and healthy, but today it is under threat;
• There is 75% less Arctic sea ice today than 50 years ago, making the Arctic Ocean vulnerable to exploitation, which exacerbates the problem;
• A melted Arctic Ocean causes global weather patterns to destabilize, leading to floods, droughts and fires, storms, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, food and water shortages, refugees, diseases, and deaths;
• Leading biologists urge us to protect 50% of the entire planet immediately to prevent mass extinction;
• As the world’s largest marine protected area at 8 million km², the Marine Arctic Peace Sanctuary (MAPS) treaty protects 2.2% of the world’s oceans, which fits naturally with the United Nations’ (UN) proposed commitment to protect 30% of our oceans by 2030;
• MAPS also supports nations in meeting their objectives under the Paris Agreement and helps achieve almost every UN sustainable development goal;
• The MAPS treaty updates the Law of the Sea to reflect the reality of our changing climate and the urgent need to protect the Arctic Ocean; and
• The MAPS treaty declares all ocean waters north of the Arctic Circle off limits to commercialization, militarization and industrialization, and enters into force with the signatures of 99 world leaders of UN member states.