Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protection Extended to 2029

Summary#

The federal government is proposing Order No. 2 Designating the Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area under the Oceans Act to replace a 2019 ministerial order. The change would extend the temporary protection that freezes new damaging activities in the area for up to five more years, effectively keeping that protection in place until 2029 while longer-term options are worked out.

What it does#

• Repeals the original 2019 ministerial order (made July 29, 2019) and replaces it with a new order that again designates the Tuvaijuittuq Marine Protected Area and “freezes the footprint” of human activities for up to five years.
• Keeps the MPA’s boundaries and scope, including the seabed, the subsoil to a depth of five metres, the water column and sea ice, covering about 319,411 km2.
• Continues to allow certain ongoing activities that were already happening before 2019, including:
  • national defence activities,
  • marine scientific research.
• Allows specific exemptions already recognized in the Oceans Act, including:
  • marine navigation and related activities by foreign ships or entities, and
  • laying, maintenance and repair of cables and pipelines by foreign states.
• Does not affect Indigenous hunting rights within the Nunavut Settlement Area as set out in the Nunavut Agreement.
• Estimates federal costs for managing the MPA at $14 million over five years (about $3.4 million per year).
• This is a proposed measure (published on December 23, 2023) and the government invited comments for 30 days after publication. The order would come into force when it is registered.

Who's affected#

• Qikiqtani Inuit Association and Inuit organizations and communities near the area, including Arctic Bay, Clyde River, Grise Fiord, Pond Inlet and Resolute Bay — these parties are involved in consultations and the longer-term planning.
• The Government of Nunavut and federal departments involved in Arctic management, especially Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
• Local hunters and trappers who may occasionally access parts of the area for rights-based activities; the order says those rights are respected under the Nunavut Agreement.
• Industries with potential Arctic interests (shipping, oil and gas, commercial fishing, tourism, research). The analysis notes there is currently very little vessel traffic, no active commercial fisheries, and no offshore wells or licences inside the MPA, so immediate impacts on businesses are expected to be low or negligible.

Why it matters#

• Tuvaijuittuq is one of the last areas of multi-year pack ice in Canada and is considered a critical habitat and likely future refuge for ice-dependent species as Arctic sea ice declines. Keeping the area protected now helps preserve that refuge while longer-term protections are considered.
• The order buys time to complete scientific research, community consultations, and to explore Indigenous-led long-term options such as an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) — work that was delayed by the COVID‑19 pandemic.
• It helps Canada meet marine conservation targets: the Tuvaijuittuq MPA contributes 5.55% toward national marine conservation target totals.
• Financially, the government estimates continued management will cost $14 million over five years, and the proposal is expected to impose little extra cost on businesses or local users because activity in the area is already minimal.