12-Month Lobbying Summary - In-house Organization

Subject Matters

• Budget
• Climate
• Energy
• Environment
• Fisheries
• Taxation and Finance
• Transportation

Subject Matter Details

Grant, Contribution or Other Financial Benefit

• Advocate for increased funding programs for coastal stewardship and restoration, with a focus on supporting local Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations

Grant, Contribution or Other Financial Benefit, Regulation

• Prevent the adoption of false climate solutions such as “chemical” or “advanced” recycling, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and blue hydrogen.

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution

• Advocate for extension of moratorium on offshore oil and gas development on Georges Bank (under joint provincial-federal legislation)
• Ensure regulatory aspects of Aquaculture Act are sound environmentally

Policies or Program

• Advance Green Budget Coalition priorities in federal budget
• Advocate for Ministers involvement in the development of a boat-to-plate seafood traceability program in Canada
• Advocate for a halt to all subsidies for offshore oil and gas in Canada and a ban on further development in Nova Scotia
• Advocate for a strong standard for regional assessments under the Impact Assessment Act with a particular focus on climate impacts and cumulative effects
• Advocate for implementation of minimum protection standards for federal MPAs and application to OECMs
• Advocate for joint provincial-federal agreement to extend the moratorium on oil and gas development on Georges Bank under existing legislation
• Advocate for strong national blue carbon policies that focus on protection, restoration and monitoring of eelgrass meadows and other blue carbon habitats
• Advocate for sustainable management of Atlantic fisheries
• Advocate for the rebuilding and sustainable management of Atlantic forage fish fisheries
• Discussion about ecological and social impacts of fin fish aquaculture in Atlantic Canada and opportunities in sustainable aquaculture for blue economy Discussion on principles that should underlie the federal Aquaculture act if it continues to be developed
• Discussion on implementation of precautionary approach and forage fish policy for Atlantic Canadian forage fish management.
• Green Budget Coalition meeting to discuss preliminary recomendations for federal budget 2023 on fisheries, habitats, ocean management
• Present and discuss opportunities and challenges associated with seagrass and salt marsh protection/restoration as a nature-based climate solution.
• Present seafood DNA testing report and advocate for changes to the CFIA's Fish List and development of a boat-to-plate seafood traceability program in Canada
• Presented the AT futures maps, discussed the National AT strategy and funding - when will the funding be announced, will the total # of $ applied for be public and additional future funding. And the problems with measuring progress in Nova Scotia and nationally

Policies or Program, Regulation

• Advocate for stronger seafood traceability system for all seafood sold in Canada

Regulation

• Advocate for Canada to meet its ocean protection commitments through establishment of new sites in Atlantic Canada with strong regulations that uphold minimum protection standards
• Advocate for Clean Electricity Standards (CES)
• Advocate for Ecologically Significant Areas to be applied to key coastal and riparian habitats via regulation under the Fisheries Act; ensure a strong national framework for ESA designation
• Discussions on development of amended Fisheries Act regulations
• ECCC Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate Proposal
• EPR, Climate Plan, Budget, ZEV Mandate, Emissions Cap, Electricity
• ERP emissions modelling, process for developing cap regulations What is the status of the subsidies peer review with Argentina Update on the development of a plan to end public financing of oil and gas.
• Green Budget Coalition five featured recommendations on climate and nature spending