Summary
Canada has the world’s longest coastline and vast ocean territories, with deep economic, ecological, and cultural ties to the sea. Canada’s diverse seascapes support major population centres alongside many small and growing coastal communities. For those who live along the coast, the ocean shapes livelihoods, cultures, and identities—most profoundly for many Indigenous Peoples in Canada, whose histories and ways of life are inseparable from the oceans.
From climate change and biodiversity loss to global security and international trade, Canada’s ocean research ecosystem is facing daunting challenges that demand strategic, collaborative approaches.
In 2011, the Canadian Consortium of Ocean Research Universities identified the need for a national assessment of ocean science in Canada and engaged the CCA to produce two expert panel reports. The first, 40 Priority Research Questions for Ocean Science in Canada (2012), identified priority research questions, while the second, Ocean Science in Canada: Meeting the Challenge, Seizing the Opportunity (2013), provided an evidence-based assessment of the state of the field. Together, these reports systematically defined Canada’s ocean science priorities and identified concrete actions to improve coordination, planning, and investment across a diverse research community. Today, however, intensifying climate impacts, rapid technological advances, greater recognition of Indigenous knowledge and engagement, and heightened concerns around research security and sovereignty, are reshaping ocean research priorities and practices. This evolving landscape demands a re-examination of the value of Canada’s ocean research sector to identify barriers and opportunities for enhancing its economic, social, and environmental benefits.
This project will build on a series of engagement activities carried out in spring 2025 by CCA and MEOPAR, along with the ocean research community, industry, associations, and government.
An expert workshop on strategies for enhancing the impacts of Canada’s ocean research sector will be held in April 2026, with a report of the proceedings to be published late spring.