Question Period Note: Freshwater Quality

Freshwater Quality

• The Government of Canada is committed to working with provinces and territories, Indigenous Peoples, and all stakeholders to ensure Canadians have reliable access to clean water resources.

• The Government of Canada works with other partners on watershed-based initiatives and contributes to the protection of the water resources through monitoring, research and regulation.

• The Government of Canada supports investments in freshwater scientific research, and collaborates with many scientific organizations, experts, and networks to address water challenges in Canada.

• The freshwater monitoring activities draws on inputs from all orders of government and provides critical data and information to guide decision-making.

• The Government is taking steps to support ecosystem initiatives that promote watershed health, including improving water quality and conservation, as well as enhancing collaboration with Indigenous Peoples.

• In 2017, Canada invested $70.5 million to protect the Great Lakes and the Lake Winnipeg Basin. The Government’s plan also supports enhanced collaboration within the St. Lawrence River, Saint John River, Mackenzie River, and Fraser River basins.

• Freshwater management in Canada is a shared responsibility between federal, provincial and territorial governments, and Indigenous peoples by virtue of their Aboriginal and treaty rights. The Canadian Constitution provides for various sources of federal authority over fresh water. For example, the federal Parliament can enact laws respecting fisheries, shipping and navigation, international relations, boundary and transboundary waters, and criminal law.

• The Canadian Constitution also provides for various sources of provincial authority over fresh water. For example, provincial legislatures can enact laws respecting activities on provincial public lands, creation and regulation of municipal governments, property and civil rights in the province, and matters of a merely local or private nature. The Canadian Constitution also provides for various sources of provincial authority over fresh water. For example, provincial legislatures can enact laws respecting activities on provincial public lands, creation and regulation of municipal governments, property and civil rights in the province, and matters of a merely local or private nature.

• Federal government action on fresh water has mostly been associated with fisheries, shipping and navigation, international relations, and boundary and transboundary waters. In addition, the federal government works collaboratively with provinces and territories on water through a number of different mechanisms, including the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment and the National Administrators Table.

• ECCC is the lead federal department on water issues as provided by the Department of the Environment Act; however, over 20 federal departments and agencies have responsibilities regarding fresh water.

• ECCC's major water-related activities include:
o Research about and monitoring of water quality, quantity, and ecosystem health;
o Pollution prevention, including enforcement;
o Collaboration with the International Joint Commission (IJC) and directly with the U.S. and provincial/territorial governments and stakeholders on transboundary water issues;
o Biodiversity, habitat and ecosystem conservation;
o Environmental reporting on the state of water resources;
o Environmental predictions and forecasting; and
o Targeted ecosystem initiatives.

• ECCC’s freshwater monitoring activities provide critical data and information to implement departmental mandates and guide decision-making. This data and information are used to restore and protect aquatic ecosystems, support emergency response, modelling and forecasting of water flows and levels to derive flood drought forecasts, guide agriculture activities, hydro-power production and navigation, and support chemicals management. These programs identify emerging issues, track progress, report on trends, and are an important contribution to climate change research. The data generated supports other departmental activities, including the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators, National Pollutant Release Inventory, and effluent regulations. Provinces and territories also produce freshwater data.

• Urban development, natural resource extraction, invasive species, and agricultural activities are all affecting fresh water, causing an array of issues, such as pollution, habitat loss and degradation.

Question Period notes as provided by the Department to the Minister’s Office