Kendra MacDonald
CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
Ambition 2035 aims to grow Canada’s ocean economy to $220 billion, and there’s only one way to achieve it: together.
As Canada’s Ocean Supercluster embarks on its next mandate, we do so with big ambition for Canada’s ocean economy.
In 2019, Canada’s ocean economy contributed $39 billion, or 1.5 per cent, to the country’s GDP. By contrast, the average country worldwide has an ocean economy that generates three per cent of their total GDP. For Canada, as an ocean nation that falls well below this world average, we’re leaving significant opportunity on the table. If you take that substantial growth potential and pair it with the projected global growth in ocean, far outpacing the growth of the broader economy, Canada is poised for transformational, sustainable growth in ocean. Canadian ocean innovation can help solve some of the world’s biggest challenges while also generating significant economic opportunity in the process.
Canadian ocean innovation can help solve some of the world’s biggest challenges, while also generating significant economic opportunity in the process.
Informed by stakeholders across the country, Ambition 2035 is a $220-billion, five-time growth ambition for Canada’s ocean economy. But to achieve it, Canada’s ocean community must rally behind this ambition collectively — and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is an important catalyst in helping to make this happen.
Growth sectors to achieve Ambition 2035
This ambition for ocean in Canada is driven primarily by energy — less carbon-intense solutions today and significant investment in renewables. The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy further reinforces this opportunity, announcing its goal of 40 times more energy from the ocean.
It’s also driven by sustainable seafood to help meet the growing demand for protein, and by marine transport — moving people and goods — with modern vessels and innovative solutions to help decarbonize shipping today and move toward net-zero emissions. It also includes tourism, which today represents 30 per cent of the global ocean economy and leaves much more room for Canada to grow, as well as expected growth in the ocean economy through public sector activity.
Achieving a $220 billion ocean economy will take all of us — a collaboration and collective opportunity for us to be bold and to do more — together.
Visit oceansupercluster.ca to learn more.
