Canada's ocean and maritime security a strategic forecast : A strategic forecast

Canada is a major maritime country with a wide range of interests and concerns in three oceans. The sea is a vital factor in the development of its economy. Canadian policy for the protection of its maritime vital interests has been implemented through a blend of law, force and diplomacy. The strategy has been one of surveillance, monitoring and enforcement, or in military terms, naval presence and sea control. Over the next two decades, the scale and complexity of increasing oceans use in the northwest Atlantic, the northeast Pacific, and in Canadian Arctic waters will have profound implications for Canadian security, broadly defined. Trends in the patterns of marine transportation and ocean use, especially the management of ocean resources, and the broad requirements to preserve the security of Canada's other maritime vital interests at home and overseas will increasingly have foreign policy implications. In this regard, oceans policy, like security policy, will need to become more closely integrated into the foreign policy process. Similarly, the fishery and living resources, offshore energy, marine transportation and navigation, the marine environment, maritime boundary delimitations, marine science and technology and recreation and community development will call for closer coordination between federal and provincial governments. Maritime security will require the meshing of policy and instruments of surveillance, monitoring and enforcement to meet the challenges of law enforcement and marine emergencies, and to protect maritime sovereignty. Multilateral, regional cooperation in the protection and management of Canada's three oceans is an imperative, dictated by interdependence for reasons of politics and costs. These factors call for a comprehensive national oceans policy, integrated marine strategies, and a naval and regulatory force posture capable of ensuring the harmonious and sustainable use of Canada's contiguous seas.