Topic: Maritime Workforce

Meaningful participation in Canada’s marine sector for Indigenous people – what will it take?

Using coastal and inland waterways to move cargo over short distances can cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and could also ease congestion on roads and railways.

The Blue Economy offers many career paths. From marine biologists studying ecosystems to data scientists analyzing large datasets and engineers creating innovative solutions for renewable energy, the opportunities are endless. It is crucial to balance this growth with the conservation efforts of Indigenous people whose communities are intertwined with the ocean to address and mitigate climate change.

Indigenous research is being led by a new generation of Indigenous students who are redefining the field and tackling important topics that are addressing environmental social, and cultural challenges in First Nations across Canada.

The global pandemic, and increased demand by consumers and industry, has disrupted the supply chain and revealed an occupational health and safety crisis among seafarers.

Canada is fortunate to have a vast wealth of natural resources which contribute significantly to the nation’s economy. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that the majority of Canada’s marine exports and imports, by volume, are natural resource-based bulk commodities.

Today, 90% of world trade is carried by ship. Globally, there are over 50,000 merchant ships trading internationally and the total cargo capacity of the world merchant shipping fleet is 1.75 billion deadweight tonnes (DWT). The people responsible for maintaining, running and operating the fleet are seafarers.