Today, we are celebrating the Global Ocean Treaty entering into force by unveiling two ocean-themed murals on the coasts of Turtle Island.
These murals celebrate what we’ve achieved after two decades of tireless campaigning and draw attention to the urgent goal of protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030. As Indigenous peoples have stewarded lands and waters since time immemorial, centering and uplifting Indigenous-led conservation efforts will be key to achieving this target.
Inspiring action through art
To convey this message, Greenpeace Canada has commissioned two talented artists to create powerful, inspiring murals. We asked Jessica Winters, an Inuk artist from Makkovik, Nunatsiavut, to depict what Indigenous stewardship looks like to her. On the other side of the country, Nicole Wolf, from Calgary, Alberta (located on the Blackfoot Confederacy and Treaty 7 peoples) travelled to Pender Island where she brought to life a mural reflecting on the emerging threat of deep sea mining. Let’s travel!
Jessica Winters – Makkovik, NL
“My paintings draw from memory and lived experience, capturing moments as I remember them—vivid, physical, and immersive. Through realism, heightened colour, and sharp contrast, I translate these memories into images that feel immediate and alive.
Recurring motifs in my work, such as working hands or familiar subarctic terrain, come from quiet, intimate experiences: watching someone sew, walking a well-known path, gathering berries. These are moments of deep attention, when time slows and the world feels close. My paintings act as time capsules of these experiences, inviting viewers into a sense of presence, nostalgia, and home.”
In Jessica’s own words, “This mural depicts a family hunting seals at the sina (ice edge), a scene commonly experienced in my home community of Makkovik. When Greenpeace Canada invited me to visualize Indigenous ocean stewardship, this was the most honest and natural expression of that relationship for me.
Where I come from, ocean stewardship is rooted in intimacy with the environment; constant observation, deep patience, and a balance of respect and reciprocity. Our presence in these places is made possible by generations of care, by learning the land and ocean’s patterns and timelines, and by relying on what they provide. In this case, that relationship is embodied in the shared act of seal hunting.
Across the North, seal hunting has long been misrepresented as cruel or barbaric, resulting in lasting harm to Inuit communities. Through this mural, I wanted to present seal hunting as it truly is: a practice grounded in care, responsibility, and sustenance. I hope this work resonates with my community, and that it challenges viewers from the South to reconsider their assumptions about what environmental stewardship can look like.”
Nicole Wolf – Pender Island, BC
« As a semi-nomadic artist, my work explores the relationship between the human body and the natural world through a lens of personal mythology. By treating the wilderness as a living subject rather than a backdrop, I aim to personify our reality as it manifests in the intersecting relationships of terrain, weather systems, and local flora and fauna. My practice involves weaving together ancient and modern narratives to question default philosophies and interrogate our responsibilities within the ecological systems we inhabit.
I hope to spark a dialogue regarding the idea that how we treat natural resources is a direct reflection of how we treat human bodies, including our own. By hosting my artwork in unexpected public spaces through the medium of sprawling murals, I aim to disrupt the mundane, enchant the everyday, and provoke a meditation on our interconnection with the environments that sustain us. »
“With a core of fire, guarded by orca eyes, and shrouded in robes of bull kelp, the ocean is personified as an autonomous being encircled by the rhythmic movement of salmon and eelgrass. This imagery was developed during an artist’s residency on Pender Island through conversations with residents, First Peoples, and local conservation groups. By embodying the sea in human form, the artwork attempts to shift our perception of the water from a mere resource to a living subject with inherent value, inviting a meditation on ocean stewardship and the environmental cost of unrestrained deep-sea mineral extraction.
Created with recycled paint, this freestanding « nomadic mural » is designed to move between events and locations across the Canadian Gulf Islands to better facilitate public dialogue. Hosted on S,DÁYES—the traditional and unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples—the imagery references the sovereignty and perspective of the First Peoples: that the health of our marine ecosystems is a direct reflection of our own collective well-being.” — Nicole Wolf, on the meaning of her mural.
Time for Canada to ratify
While these murals are to be admired in their respective communities, we are also inviting decision-makers to hear their call. Over 80 countries have ratified the Global Ocean Treaty, but Canada has not yet taken this crucial step.
Canada has signed the Global Ocean Treaty, but must now ratify it—turning it into Canadian law— to secure a seat at the table during the first Ocean COP later this year.
Furthermore, we want Canada to champion ambitious proposals for the first generation of ocean sanctuaries, including protections for the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic. We now have the tools to deliver ocean conservation at scale—benefiting people and ecosystems worldwide. Let’s use them to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030.
Le Traité mondial sur les océans doit être signé par 60 pays d’ici 2025 pour devenir juridiquement contraignant. Signez la pétition pour que le Canada fasse partie du nombre!
Passer à l'actionA framework for ocean sanctuaries
The Global Ocean Treaty gives governments a clear framework to establish a global network of ocean sanctuaries. These are vast protected areas beyond any country’s national jurisdiction of waters, where fragile ecosystems can recover and thrive.
This crucial treaty comes at a critical time for oceans. Less than 1% of the high seas are fully or highly protected, leaving them vulnerable to industrial fishing, increased shipping, oil drilling, and, maybe soon, even deep sea mining. Ocean sanctuaries will designate areas as off-limits to these destructive practices.
Discussion
Pour les fresques, oui, elles seraient bien et pour nous sensibiliser aux réalités autochtones intimement liées aux écosystèmes. Il s'agirait bel et bien de simplement vivre avec elles pour s'en nourrir, se gîter, se perpétuer, etc., et non pas les faire disparaître pour tous nous mettre en péril par une régulation désincarnée.