Yesterday the Canadian government said it supports a moratorium on commercial seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction and the federal government will not support the provisional approval of a plan of work.
The announcement was made by three cabinet ministers: Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, and Joyce Murray, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.
The Metals Company, which is headquartered in Vancouver, is focused on the deep-sea mining of seafloor polymetallic nodules.
“The protection, conservation, restoration and sustainable use of ocean ecosystems is essential to all life on earthm” said the three ministers in a news release. “As we begin council meetings for Part II of the 28th International Seabed Authority (ISA) session, it is critical that the international community recognize its collective responsibility to safeguard the health and integrity of our shared global ocean for future generations.
“This is why, in the absence of both a comprehensive understanding of seabed mining’s environmental impacts and a robust regulatory regime, Canada supports a moratorium on commercial seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction and will not support the provisional approval of a plan of work. The Government of Canada has been clear: seabed mining should take place only if effective protection of the marine environment is provided through a rigorous regulatory structure, applying precautionary and ecosystem-based approaches, using science-based and transparent management, and ensuring effective compliance with a robust inspection mechanism.