Oceans of opportunity in Canada’s blue economy: Senator Petten
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Canada has the opportunity not simply to participate in the blue economy, but also to help define what a truly sustainable and regenerative blue economy can look like.
I grew up in Port de Grave, Newfoundland and Labrador, in a community where the ocean was not an abstract concept or a line on a map. It was our workplace, our source of opportunity and a defining part of who we were. After more than three decades working in Canada’s fishing industry, I have seen firsthand the challenges facing ocean communities and the extraordinary potential that exists when we invest in them — while recognizing that those opportunities ultimately depend on a healthy ocean.
That is why I believe Canada is at an important moment for our blue economy.
The blue economy is no longer a niche conversation confined to coastal communities. It is increasingly central to discussions about economic growth, innovation, climate resilience, food security, Indigenous leadership and Canada’s place in the world.
But a successful blue economy cannot be measured by economic growth alone. It must also ask whether our oceans are healthy, whether communities are benefiting and whether the opportunities we create today will endure for generations to come.
I have seen that momentum firsthand over the past year.
In 2025, I founded the All-Atlantic Senators’ Group because we have a responsibility to bring the region’s shared interests into national conversations. Our four provinces are connected by the Atlantic Ocean, and our opportunities in fisheries, aquaculture, marine technology, ports, ocean science and other ocean industries are deeply interconnected. I am honoured to have been elected to the role of chair of this group, and I intend to use that position to continue bringing an Atlantic perspective into our Senate Chamber.
That work is part of a much broader conversation.
At the 2025 Victoria Forum, I brought together a panel on the blue economy featuring Marie-Chantal Ross, program director at the National Research Council of Canada’s Ocean Program; Kendra MacDonald, chief executive officer of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster; Kevin Anderson, former regional director general for Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and Eli Enns, an internationally recognized expert in Indigenous-led conservation and co-founder and president of the IISAAK OLAM Foundation. What struck me was the breadth of expertise around that table. Canada does not lack knowledge or talent when it comes to the ocean.
One message from that conversation has stayed with me: if we measure only economic output, we should not be surprised when economic output becomes our sole objective. A blue economy asks us to think more broadly about health, wealth and equity — creating more value from the ocean while maintaining the health of the ocean itself.
That conversation was front and centre again this month in Halifax where I had the privilege of delivering a keynote address at the third annual Sustainable Blue Economy Summit. But this time, the focus was not simply on the potential of the ocean economy. It was on how we turn that potential into performance — bringing governments, Indigenous communities, industry, researchers and investors together to move from ideas and investment to measurable results.
That distinction matters.
Canada has tremendous ocean potential. The question is whether we can build the partnerships, policies and investments needed to realize it without compromising the health of the ocean on which that economy depends.
There is encouraging evidence that the ocean is receiving greater attention. The federal government recently appointed Diana Fox Carney as Canada’s first Ocean Envoy and chair of the 12th Our Ocean Conference, which Canada will host in 2027. Her mandate includes advancing Canada’s leadership on ocean conservation, climate action, Indigenous leadership and economic resilience, while the conference will showcase this country’s commitment to healthy oceans, strong coastal communities and Indigenous-led stewardship.
This is a clear opportunity for Canada.
In fact, that opportunity is already taking shape, with last week’s federal government announcement of $1.2 billion in new investments to protect Canada’s oceans as it develops a national strategy to secure our waters and build our ocean economy.
As Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “Canada is an ocean nation.” We have the world’s longest coastline. We have world-class researchers, entrepreneurs, fish harvesters, Indigenous knowledge holders, shipbuilders, ports, universities and ocean-technology companies. We have communities that have been building their livelihoods around the sea for generations.
We should not see these strengths as separate pieces. They are parts of one national opportunity.
Building a stronger blue economy does not mean choosing economic growth over healthy oceans. It means recognizing that they are mutually dependent. Sustainable ocean industries need healthy marine ecosystems, just as coastal communities need sustainable economic opportunities. Stewardship is not separate from economic development; it is one of the conditions that makes long-term development possible.
The ocean has always been part of Canada’s story. Now it should be an even bigger part of our economic future.
Senator Iris G. Petten is the government liaison with the Government Representative’s Office in the Upper Chamber. She represents Newfoundland and Labrador and serves as chair of the All-Atlantic Senators’ Group.
This article was published in The Hill Times on October 5, 2026.
Canada has the opportunity not simply to participate in the blue economy, but also to help define what a truly sustainable and regenerative blue economy can look like.
I grew up in Port de Grave, Newfoundland and Labrador, in a community where the ocean was not an abstract concept or a line on a map. It was our workplace, our source of opportunity and a defining part of who we were. After more than three decades working in Canada’s fishing industry, I have seen firsthand the challenges facing ocean communities and the extraordinary potential that exists when we invest in them — while recognizing that those opportunities ultimately depend on a healthy ocean.
That is why I believe Canada is at an important moment for our blue economy.
The blue economy is no longer a niche conversation confined to coastal communities. It is increasingly central to discussions about economic growth, innovation, climate resilience, food security, Indigenous leadership and Canada’s place in the world.
But a successful blue economy cannot be measured by economic growth alone. It must also ask whether our oceans are healthy, whether communities are benefiting and whether the opportunities we create today will endure for generations to come.
I have seen that momentum firsthand over the past year.
In 2025, I founded the All-Atlantic Senators’ Group because we have a responsibility to bring the region’s shared interests into national conversations. Our four provinces are connected by the Atlantic Ocean, and our opportunities in fisheries, aquaculture, marine technology, ports, ocean science and other ocean industries are deeply interconnected. I am honoured to have been elected to the role of chair of this group, and I intend to use that position to continue bringing an Atlantic perspective into our Senate Chamber.
That work is part of a much broader conversation.
At the 2025 Victoria Forum, I brought together a panel on the blue economy featuring Marie-Chantal Ross, program director at the National Research Council of Canada’s Ocean Program; Kendra MacDonald, chief executive officer of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster; Kevin Anderson, former regional director general for Fisheries and Oceans Canada; and Eli Enns, an internationally recognized expert in Indigenous-led conservation and co-founder and president of the IISAAK OLAM Foundation. What struck me was the breadth of expertise around that table. Canada does not lack knowledge or talent when it comes to the ocean.
One message from that conversation has stayed with me: if we measure only economic output, we should not be surprised when economic output becomes our sole objective. A blue economy asks us to think more broadly about health, wealth and equity — creating more value from the ocean while maintaining the health of the ocean itself.
That conversation was front and centre again this month in Halifax where I had the privilege of delivering a keynote address at the third annual Sustainable Blue Economy Summit. But this time, the focus was not simply on the potential of the ocean economy. It was on how we turn that potential into performance — bringing governments, Indigenous communities, industry, researchers and investors together to move from ideas and investment to measurable results.
That distinction matters.
Canada has tremendous ocean potential. The question is whether we can build the partnerships, policies and investments needed to realize it without compromising the health of the ocean on which that economy depends.
There is encouraging evidence that the ocean is receiving greater attention. The federal government recently appointed Diana Fox Carney as Canada’s first Ocean Envoy and chair of the 12th Our Ocean Conference, which Canada will host in 2027. Her mandate includes advancing Canada’s leadership on ocean conservation, climate action, Indigenous leadership and economic resilience, while the conference will showcase this country’s commitment to healthy oceans, strong coastal communities and Indigenous-led stewardship.
This is a clear opportunity for Canada.
In fact, that opportunity is already taking shape, with last week’s federal government announcement of $1.2 billion in new investments to protect Canada’s oceans as it develops a national strategy to secure our waters and build our ocean economy.
As Prime Minister Mark Carney said, “Canada is an ocean nation.” We have the world’s longest coastline. We have world-class researchers, entrepreneurs, fish harvesters, Indigenous knowledge holders, shipbuilders, ports, universities and ocean-technology companies. We have communities that have been building their livelihoods around the sea for generations.
We should not see these strengths as separate pieces. They are parts of one national opportunity.
Building a stronger blue economy does not mean choosing economic growth over healthy oceans. It means recognizing that they are mutually dependent. Sustainable ocean industries need healthy marine ecosystems, just as coastal communities need sustainable economic opportunities. Stewardship is not separate from economic development; it is one of the conditions that makes long-term development possible.
The ocean has always been part of Canada’s story. Now it should be an even bigger part of our economic future.
Senator Iris G. Petten is the government liaison with the Government Representative’s Office in the Upper Chamber. She represents Newfoundland and Labrador and serves as chair of the All-Atlantic Senators’ Group.
This article was published in The Hill Times on October 5, 2026.