David Miller is the first to admit that praising one of Canada’s major oil companies for having done the right thing wasn’t something he expected to ever do when he joined WWF Canada a few years ago.

But that’s what he’s done today as part of an announcement that will see Shell voluntarily contribute offshore rights to the Nature Conservancy of Canada to support the establishment of a marine conservation area off the coast of Nunavut.

The announcement was made this morning at the WWF’s Ocean Summit to mark World Oceans Day.

“I’ve got to give credit to Shell,” Miller said. “Could you imagine having had this conversation two years ago? This is a testament also I think to the government setting a really positive tone and saying business, environmental organizations, indigenous organizations and the government can work together in Canada’s interest. That’s what’s happened today.”

As part of the deal, Shell has presented the Nature Conservancy with more than 860,000 hectares of offshore exploratory permits in the waters of Baffin Bay, near Lancaster Sound.

“This represents an area larger than Banff National Park,” said Shell Canada President Michael Crothers. “It’s an area of spectacular beauty.”

A federal proposal for a national marine conservation area in Lancaster Sound, located at the east entrance to the Northwest Passage, currently includes 44,500 km2 of marine territory. The addition of Shell’s permits, which fall outside these boundaries, could mean the conservation area is ultimately much larger.

The area is critical ecological habitat and home to a wide range of marine mammals, including belugas, narwhals and bowhead whales, as well as seals, walrus and polar bears. It’s also home to important seabird breeding colonies.

“It’s an ecological treasure and this will make a significant impact to the protection of the marine environment,” said Environment Minister Catherine McKenna.

“We still have to work out boundaries, (but) this may actually allow us to double the size. That’s huge,” she told reporters afterwards.

That’s good news as the government works to meet international targets it agreed to under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which require at least five percent of Canada’s marine and coastal areas to be protected by 2017 and 10 per cent by 2020. Those commitments are also a part of several ministers mandate letters.

“We need to protect an area that’s roughly equal to the size of the Atlantic provinces,” Dominic LeBlanc told those gathered, noting Canada is at one per cent right now. “We have a great distance to go in a relatively short period of time.”

In one of his first appearances since becoming minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard eight days ago, LeBlanc said he was humbled to be asked to take over for Hunter Tootoo. He spoke of his father, Romeo LeBlanc, who served as minister of fisheries under Pierre Elliott Trudeau from 1979 to 1982, and the kind of legacy he hopes to leave.

“The legacy for me…is defined by the work that I can do with all of you on protecting and preserving our oceans, the ecosystems in our oceans, and leave a legacy and a footprint that will inspire the people in this room and those whom you represent.”

Given the task at hand, he insisted the government is committed to doing things differently, particularly when it comes to relying on and listening to science.

“We need to reverse years of inaction,” LeBlanc said. “We need to show partners and the world we’re serious about ocean conservation. We need to listen to science and act on it is a positive way.”

On average, it takes between seven and 10 years for a marine protected area to be realized. McKenna says while ensuring they take science and the Inuit’s traditional ecological knowledge into account, the political will is certainly there to make it happen faster.

“We will work as quickly as we can on this.”

That makes Miller happy, as he said sometimes in central Canada, people don’t see or fully appreciate just how critical ocean health is for the world. But the reality is, 39 per cent of ocean species have disappeared since the 1970s.

“It’s a really serious issue and that’s because of us,” he said. “It’s because of pollution, things like plastics, because of overfishing and increasingly because of climate change.”

McKenna said the partnership with so many players is an exciting moment for the growing efforts to protect Canada’s oceans and tackle climate change.

“Nothing makes me happier than unusual suspects working together,” she said. “It sends the message we’re all in this together and I think it’s a thrilling development for Canada. It creates much greater opportunities.”

At the Nature Conservancy, President and CEO John Lounds, agreed collaboration is key.

“If we don’t work together, we’re gonna end up in all sorts of places we don’t want to be…which is court, and just not having discussions about who gets things done. We want to make sure people are talking to one another.”