Mr. Speaker, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have spent the majority of my life living on the Pacific Ocean. Like all Canadians, I know that our oceans are an important part of our history, our economy, and our way of life. My neighbours in Burnaby and North Vancouver are very concerned that we are taking our oceans for granted.
Our marine ecosystems face many real threats and it is up to all of us to not just protect our marine environment but to restore it. This is why we are so proud to deliver on our promise to protect 5% of our oceans by 2017. This is a significant achievement, especially considering that we had protected less than 1% of our oceans just two years ago. Our efforts represent the protection of hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of habitat. This is a significant step toward protecting 10% of our oceans by 2020.
On behalf of future generations who are counting on us to get this right, I want to thank all members of this House and all Canadians, who are working hard every day to protect and restore our marine environment.