Mr. Speaker, I am fortunate to live just a short walk from the Pacific Ocean in my riding of Vancouver Quadra, and some days I can hear and even smell the ocean from home, so I am pleased to highlight June 8, World Oceans Day, as a chance to celebrate our oceans and to thank all who help us understand and protect them.
With every breath we take, every drop of water we drink, they are our human life support system. Oceans generate more than half of the oxygen we breathe, regulate climate, provide invaluable resources, support businesses, trade and commerce and, most important, offer an endless source of inspiration for the human spirit.
Eight out of ten human beings live within 100 kilometres of an ocean, and billions depend on oceans for food, yet too many commercial fisheries are overfished. Climate change is making our oceans warmer and more acidic, and a mere one-half of 1% of global marine habitats are protected.
World Oceans Day is an important reminder to each of us to protect the health of our oceans every day, literally as a way of life.