Green Party Petitions Parliament for Ten-Year Moratorium on Extractive Seabed Exploration

OTTAWA, ON — Green Party Leader Elizabeth May filed private member's legislation on Parliament Hill Wednesday seeking a binding ten-year national moratorium on deep seabed mineral exploration and commercial mining activities within Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Statutory Framework and Marine Conservation

The proposed Seabed Conservation and Marine Precaution Act would prohibit federal departments, including Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Natural Resources Canada, from issuing permits for polymetallic nodule extraction, hydrothermal vent prospecting, or subsea dredging along Pacific and Arctic continental shelves.

May cited extensive oceanographic research warning that deep-sea mining risks causing irreversible damage to benthic ecosystems, disrupting marine carbon sequestration cycles, and endangering vulnerable cold-water coral reefs.

International Treaty Context and Parliamentary Support

The legislative petition coincides with ongoing International Seabed Authority negotiations in Jamaica. May urged the federal government to join an international coalition of 27 nations, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, advocating for a precautionary pause on global seabed extraction.

Members from the NDP and Liberal environmental caucuses signaled openness to supporting committee study of the bill when Parliament reconvenes in mid-September.

Next Steps on Parliament Hill

The legislation will be scheduled for second-reading debate during designated private members' business hours in the House of Commons this autumn.