Cabot Martin Research Award
Consider Supporting the Cabot Martin Research Award
Cabot Martin (1944 – 2022) served as an advisor on law and resource policy under Premiers Frank Moores and Brian Peckford. He studied law at Queen’s University and ocean law at the University of Miami. As a policy advisor to the government, his advice and private contributions later, have had a major impact on his native province. In the province’s oil and gas industry, alone, he shaped its growth and development over a period of more than 50 years.
Martin’s career of public service began with the development of a case for provincial ownership of the sub-sea mineral resources which Newfoundland & Labrador brought into the Canadian Confederation in 1949. While it was unsuccessful, it was a starting point for the achievement of the Atlantic Accord which gave joint federal-provincial management and control over NL’s offshore resources, and for the Province’s oil and gas regulatory framework.
The Friends of Cabot Martin Committee, in cooperation with Memorial University, is in the process of raising funds for the “Cabot Martin Award for Research in Regional Policy and Development”: an annual prize to recognize outstanding research in public policy. And, to further raise awareness of the work, the winners will be required to present a public lecture on the research results. To make a (taxdeductible) donation to the fund, or to learn more about Cabot’s story, please click the link below.
More on Cabot Martin’s Career and Contribution
In consideration of his foundational contributions, Cabot was recognized at NOIA’s 25th anniversary “as one of the key negotiators of the 1985 Atlantic Accord, which set out the joint federal-provincial jurisdiction of offshore oil & gas resources… and was later a key advisor and government lawyer during negotiations on the Hibernia Project.”
Cabot Martin was a pioneering and courageous advocate for the responsible management of Newfoundland and Labrador’s natural resources. From the fight for the rights of fish harvesters, to recognizing the dangers of overfishing, to getting a fair share from our offshore petroleum resources, Cabot was always there with remarkable foresight. Being a hands-on man of action as well as a thinker, Cabot pioneered cod-farming in the province and later ran an oil and gas exploration company. His myriad efforts over more than 50 years continue to pay dividends today – especially for those making a living in the petroleum industry. Indeed, there are many thriving individuals and companies in the Province of Newfoundland & Labrador that can trace the roots of their success to this remarkable man.